Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott has rightfully been called the most inventive artist in hip-hop by several colleagues and critics. The innovative beats and lyrics on albums such as “…So Addictive,” “Under Construction” and “This Is Not A Test!” have refreshed the genre and left an undeniable mark on all of pop.

But Elliott’s sixth album, “The Cookbook,” falls far short of the standard that she herself has set. The 16-track album, released July 5, is Elliott’s most incohesive, disappointing effort to date.

Long-time fans will be surprised at the number of slow jams on the album. While tracks like “Remember When” and “Meltdown” aren’t intrinsically bad, the slow beats and lyrics are nothing new. We don’t need another R. Kelly — especially from an artist with greater potential.

And sometimes when Elliott does experiment with other styles, she fails completely. “We Run This,” with its cheesy brass band and bongo accompaniment, evokes an image of Elliott performing on a Caribbean cruise. It’s an embarrassment.

Even “Lose Control,” the album’s hyped single, misses the mark. Though energetic and catchy, the track lies too heavily on repetition. After Elliott’s all-too-brief solo, featured artist Fat Man Scoop falls into repeatedly barking the same unengaging lyrics — “Put yo back on the wall,” “We on fiya,” “Now move yo arm 2 tha left gurl.” And the xylophone-like background sound, while certainly different, is jarring and distracting.

The only remote attempt at innovation is “On & On,” in which Elliott pairs a strong beat with decent lyrics. The song’s speech-augmenting style recalls the earlier “Boys,” but Elliott takes the sound to a new level. She doesn’t merely speak — or pretend to speak — backwards, but through her rapping mimics a record being spinned. And the lyrics are conducive to a smooth beat. “Lickin ma lips like I’m takin him home/Teasing and teasing I’m fakin the foam/Shakin my ass like I wanna bone/Bend over slow then I tell him I’m gone,” Elliott sings.

But “On & On” is no “Pass That Dutch” or “4 My People.” And even if it were, we would expect something more, something new of Elliott. That’s the problem with “The Cookbook.” If Elliott were an average artist, the album would be a praiseworthy attempt. But from an artist famous for pushing the boundaries of contemporary music, this subdued, lackluster album of emulation is only a disappointment.

— Ryan Wenzel