ZEN starts DJ Krush off on the lovely, sedate note of "Song 1" with a flute hovering in the easy listening air, but to prove that he's not gone soft, he mixes a more raw rap with the beauty in "Zen Approach." This constant push-and-pull between these two poles plays throughout the album. The rough and tumble hip-hop of "Vision Of Art" goes back to back with the gentle guitar and horns of "Day's End." "Final Home," with Estereo and Mista Sinista, blends both into one track. But, in the end, the melodics win the day: Zap Mama makes "Danger Of Love" sound almost like a lullaby, while "Sonic Traveller" has some African instrumental overtones, and "Duck Chase" goes buck-wild with the scratching. N'Dea Davenport adds considerable melancholy soul to "With Grace," and the spoken word of "Paradise Bird Theory" is like a whispered warning. A state of zen indeed.