Things just ain't the same for Robin Thicke. The blue-eyed soul singer who won over fans with his falsetto and tender lyrics finds himself backed into a corner after the modest performance of 2008's "Something Else." The lead single for that project, "Magic," puttered out at #59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its follow-up single, the piano-driven soul ballad "The Sweetest Love" failed to break through on the Hot 100. The album itself never even reached gold status.
So with his audience respectfully telling him "that ain't it," Robin Thicke has decided to flip the script. Unfortunately, he's turned to familiar material: Booty shaking, trash talking, label dropping Hip Pop masquerading as R&B. Robin, who used to be able to pride himself on sounding more like Maxwell than Chris Brown, now sounds like Omarion on his new songs "Shakin' It For Daddy" and "Meiple." I hesitate to call Robin a sellout. It's an overused term that doesn't really make sense because show business has always been about business first and art second, but this new sound ain't a good look.
Of the two songs leaked from his new album "Sex Therapy," "Shaking It For Daddy" is the one that sort of works. It features Young Money's version of Lil' Kim, Nicki Minaj, and Robin Thicke describing an "aggressive" exotic dancer who's eager to please her customer. The song has a bouncable energy and even though the lyrics are slightly crude, the whole song is so fun that you forgive its lyrical transgressions. The biggest criticism here is that Nicki dominates the track, making you wonder if it's her song featuring Thicke.
"Meiple," featuring Jay-Z, on the other hand sounds like Pink Panther got a record deal. Robin rolls through luxury brands, promises to take his boo shopping and brags about the excesses of life on a yacht. Did Fashion Week buy ad time on his album? The song, which samples Brigitte Bardot’s "Moi Je Joue," is instantly disposable.
Perhaps it's too early to judge whether or not Robin has truly become a Hip Pop turncoat. Just to be clear, the offending factor here isn't the fact that Robin's music is upbeat. He did upbeat just fine with "I Wanna Love You Girl." But lyrically, with these two songs he's taken a nosedive for the cheap and crass. Maybe Robin's just putting together the tacky crap that he knows will get the kids to throw chips his way on iTunes, but stuff the album full of material that will please those who fell in love with the dreamy sounds of "Lost Without U"? After all, the first official single "Sex Therapy" is an excellent imitation of a Prince song that employs Robin's trademark falsetto and baby-making poetry, so clearly he hasn't completely lost his touch.
