Words by Claudio E. Cabrera Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Think of Justin Timberlake without the dance music and just straight good old soul and you have Robin Thicke. No dancing, just singing. The Grammy award winning songwriter and producer returns with his second album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke. After the disappointment of his 2003 debut, Beautiful World, the blue-eyed high falsetto brother (if you can call him a brother) returns with a refreshing, slow, yet up-tempo mix of songs soaked in a batch of soul.
Faith Evans appears on the up-tempo opener, "Got To Be Down," with its throwback feel over up-tempo drums and soft guitar riffs. "Complicated" explores Thicke's insecurities, where he "wishes he could stop being the same old me and stop putting my blues on you." The soft piano projects the hurt in Thicke's deep, emotion-filled voice. The simple, yet inviting guitar on the stunning second single, "Lost Without You," is intoxicating in which Thicke admits, "He can't help himself." Pharrell lends his beat making expertise and whatever rapping skills he has to the lead single, "Wanna Love You Girl," which connects with its shuffling drums, claps, and steady pace. Thicke talks about the girl "he'll walk the earth for...her attitude is harder than the earth's core."
The misses occur on the two Lil Wayne features, "All Night Long" and "Shooter," where an up-tempo beat and a Jamaican inspired backdrop fails compliment Thicke's style. All this album needs is Thicke and no guest appearances cause his voice is that addicting. The salsa juiced "Everything I Can't Have" with the salsa staples like trombones and cambia's should've been left to masters of salsa like Ruben Blades. "Teach U A Lesson's" swank guitar riff are done in by the weak concept where Thicke is about to put his lady on punishment.
The Evolution of Robin Thicke comes to a close with "Angel" where Thicke's melodic chords wonder "how he ever got by without his angel." Like one of the song titles on the album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke is raw, uncut, "Cocaine" and will take you to a place so high that other R&B singers have failed to accompany you to in years.
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