Bobby V

After a label move to EMI due to some reported unhappiness with the level of support his previous album got from Def Jam, sugary crooner Bobby Valentino has released his third record, The Rebirth. The title is more reflective of repetition than it is of renewal. Valentino's been known most for his mix of sweetness, grind and sparkle, evident on hits like "Slow Down" and "Anonymous," which walk the line between leer and charming come-on, and The Rebirth certainly contains some of the same.

Valentino's regular producers Tim & Bob supply a pretty and unexpected mix of flute and bongos that buoy the album's first song, "Make You the Only One," an example that falls more on the side of romance. "Beep," by contrast, the first single released, features a guest spot by Yung Joc that adds some gruffness, pointing at what "beep" euphemistically stands in for (see the Pussycat Dolls' song of the same name). Valentino stretches a little more on "Butterfly Tattoo," a slow-jam that nods to Prince in a noodly guitar solo, and on "Give Me Your Heart," a serious expression of commitment painted in gospel colors that features a backing choir affirming Valentino's impassioned "girl(s)".

Still, the better efforts are the ones like "Hands on Me," which may rhyme "timin'" with "diamond," but those songs are largely winners in their familiar mix of mid-tempo twitch and sweet/tart vocals. Valentino hasn't yet delivered what he's fully capable of, but the promise remains.

—Hillary Brown
02.17.09