Also, Elastic follows the self-titled CD by Yaya3, which features the same lineup: Redman with keyboardist Sam Yahel and drummer Brian Blade.

The concept for Yaya3 and Elastic began when Redman started playing with Yahel and Blade at the New York's Small's club in the late 1990s.

[6][7][8] David R. Adler of Allmusic wrote "Coming fast on the heels of Redman's collaborative Yaya3 date with the same players (organist Sam Yahel and drummer Brian Blade), Elastic is more about pop/soul-funk than jazz, but it doesn't sacrifice any of Yaya3's organic feeling and improvisational focus.

But, unlike his ambitious counterpart and contemporary James Carter, it only confirms that Redman is the authentic monster tenor of slackers everywhere.

"[9] C. Andrew Hovan of All About Jazz wrote, "Although an audience's reaction to any artistic endeavor is ultimately personal, some pieces seem to speak with great fluency and attraction and others are more difficult to decipher.