Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

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“Shakin’ It 4 Daddy” – Robin Thicke feat. Nicki Minaj

Robin Thicke is dropping his fourth studio album, “Sex Therapy: The Sessions/The Experience” on December 15, 2009. In a recent interview with MTV he said, “A lot of people are telling me it’s the best album yet, so I’m really excited. I hope that they’re right!” This undoubtedly stellar album boasts sex, SEX, SEX! The album features some the today’s greatest Hip Hop and R&B artists such as Estelle, Jazmine Sullivan, Nicky Minaj, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, and Game. And producers such as Polow da Don, Teddy Riley, Pro-Jay, Jeff Bhasker, Rich Skillz, Dre & Vidal, and Robin Thicke are to name a few that’s on the album.

Robin Thicke shows a more explicit side on his album, “Sex Therapy: The Sessions/The Experience”, singing sensual falsettos and sexually induced harmonies over futuristic R&B beats. His music is nothing like the usual male R&B singers (i.e. Justin Timberlakes, Ushers, and Marios), instead he is sticking to what he is good at and perfecting that.

“Sex Therapy: The Sessions/The Experience” is an ambiguous plan to avoid Robin Thicke from being categorized solely as an “adult” R&B singer. This album is clearly targeting the younger crowd and the collabos he has with such rappers should solidify that even more. Thicke’s CD from start to finish tells a story. The “playful good nurse/ bad doctor” theme he set in the opening track continues throughout the whole album.

The crafty distinction of his masculinity and timid-light falsetto are in full effect. Sometimes the outcome are a cliché, as on “Meiplé,” where  Jay-Z does his thing as Robin Thicke sings about him and his wife traveling across the world. Jay-Z also gives his old lady a shout out as well.

The album does not show a complete loss of character that has linked to the singer’s adult fans. The song “Mrs. Sexy,” based on Eric B. & Rakim’s Al Green-sampling “Mahogany” (even so much that Thicke doesn’t even change the line that mentions his skin color) is harmonist and graceful, much like anything else he’s recorded.

In his song “Million Dolla Baby,” he takes another Marvin Gaye song, “Trouble Man” as its background. Jazmine Sullivan lends her background vocals, giving the song not too much but just enough. One actually has to listen very hard to even hear her on the track! On this song, he continues to put one of the best voices in R&B to good use.

For me this album started off pretty slow, even the song with Jay-Z bored me a little, and at one point I forgot Thicke was on the track. However, the album picked up when the song “Shakin it 4 Daddy” feat. Nicki “Stick shift the ding-a-ling” Minaj came on. Thicke does take a note from his R&B counterparts in “Shakin it 4 Daddy”, where he tells his listeners that “she’s lifting up her ass and dropping it to the beat”.  He kind of does a Trey Songz “Ohhhh” and a little K.C. & JoJo “Ohhh yeaaa!!!” it’s quite comical.  The ass-shaking beat from Polow da Don bangs in the backdrop and Nicki Minaj does her usual sex-crazed, fast rapping for the two verses she’s on.

Robin Thicke seems to be enjoying his new ventures into his new establish stance in R&B music. I am not the biggest “Robin Thicke” fan, but I can truly appreciate this album as being the best male R&B albums to arrive in my inbox THIS YEAR! Support good music and GO BUY THE ALBUM!

Jake Jacobs VI

Twitter.com/JakeJacobsVI

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