Pastor Troy is ready to prove it's him who gave the South their voice on his latest effort, Stay Tru. And, while that may be so, he does a disservice by failing to show the current sound of ATL. But, maybe that's a good thing. Stay Tru definitely takes a a break from the "snap music" phenomenon that's invading the charts.
The album represents the crunk sound that gave the Peach state its identity long before "Crunk N' B" and "Snap Music." However, given what one would expect from Pastor Troy, Stay Tru is a little bland. If this is Pastor Troy being true, it'd be better for him to pretend to be someone else.
One of the rapper's best assets is his uncanny ability to combine his spiritual background with tales of street life. By far, "Vice Versa" from Troy's 2002 release Universal Soldier, is the rapper at his best. And, in an industry where copycat acts are standard, Pastor Troy should seek to keep with what he's great at, but he doesn't. Instead, he's created an LP filled with club bangers where he brags of guns, money, girls and Polo.
To be fair, there are a couple highlights on Stay Tru. "Well Un Huh" has his signature ad-lib and shines as one of the hottest tracks on the album. This is one of the few times he raps about something remotely important. On the track, he discusses how he put Georgia on the map and how he gets the crowds hype, all from saying "Well, Un Huh." It's sure to get the clubs crunk and keep the candy painted cars rumbling.
And then, there's "Lyin' Bout Her Crib," where listeners get glimpse at Troy's knack for story-telling. The track's title is pretty self-explanatory and sums up it's subject matter. The chick is living with her man and Troy doesn't know, but the story takes an odd turn when Troy finds out and decides to rob the girl AND her man. It's kind of twisted...but it works.
However, the skits are forgettable and the rest of the album is lackluster. To be blunt, there's no substance to this album. And, he refers to himself throughout the CD as "PT Cruiser." Okay, Pastor Troy. We get Pastor Troy and PT Cruiser...but PT Cruisers are not cars synonymous with getting girls. It's not a good idea to brand yourself with cars that resemble mini-hearses. It's just weird.
Pastor Troy does indeed stay true to his roots on his latest LP. But, if he expects to gain the success among his ATL counterparts, he may want to try a different approach.
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