If there were any justice, it wouldn’t have taken a duet with Lil’ Wayne for the world to know Robin Thicke – he’s been behind the scenes as a writer for years. Granted, it is hard to accept the son of “Growing Pains” Alan Thicke as a valid artist, but the cat is the truth. He has just released his second album, “The Evolution of Robin Thicke,” and turned the sophomore slump into a sophomore jump.
For his second album, he signed with Pharrell William’s Star Trak. So I was expecting the album to be riddled with Neptunes’ tracks, but I’m happy to say that Pharrell took a decidedly hands-off approach, only contributing one song, “Wanna Love You Girl.” Thicke is allowed to show his own talent as an incredible songwriter and producer. The only blatant influence I heard throughout the album was Marvin Gaye. His falsetto, the music and especially his adlibs all seem like he had a Ouija Board in the studio to collaborate with Marvin.
The album jumps off with a duet with Faith Evans, “Got 2 Be Down,” that finds Thicke utilizing the aforementioned Marvin sound. Thicke takes a backseat to Faith on this track, letting her sing the verses with him adlibbing and doing the chorus. Everything comes together on this song and it kicks the album off in the right direction.
Another album highlight that finds Thicke getting his Marvin on is the track, “Would That Make U Love Me.” The music is reminiscent of “Got to Give It Up,” but it has its own sound. Normally I don’t like when artists wear their influences so obviously on their sleeves, but the result is so stellar that you can’t help but dig it.
There’s also a sexy ode to role-playing, “Teach U a Lesson.” Laced with soft, Latin-tinged guitars, it finds him singing, “You were late to school/I’m gonna have to see you after class/you been a bad girl/someone’s gonna have to teach you a lesson.” That may not sound good written, but he totally sells it when he singing. Using restraint, he effectively creates a sexy vibe that oozes from the track.
Two of the most interesting moments on the cd are when Lil’ Wayne pops up. He appears on both “Shooter” and “All Night Long.” These two actually have good chemistry on wax. I would not mind hearing a “Best of Both Worlds”-type project from them.
There’s much more on the cd that I could write about, including the anti-DARE, “Cocaine.” However, I’d rather you check it out for yourself. Drawing equally from soul and Latin musical influences, Robin Thicke has put together a collection of well-written and executed songs that exudes sensuality. I’ll put it this way: if Justin’s bringing “sexy” back, then Thicke just gave it a soundtrack.
