Robin Thicke’s latest album, Love After War, was released December 6th. I’ve been struggling since then to write this review. It’s not a bad album but it’s boring and I’ve been trying to find a more eloquent and respectable way to describe my sentiments. Alas, I haven’t found a way to do that so, without further adieu, please excuse my poor word choice, but this album is boring. Boring like a cupcake without icing. I guess you could still argue that at least it’s still a cupcake?
My first issue with the album is that I don’t understand his jump from his last effort to this one. The former, Sex Therapy, was urban soul and featured a bunch of collabs (Jay-Z, Game, Jazmine Sullivan, Kid Cudi, Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, Estelle). Love After War features a lot of forgettable slow soul jams you might hear as background music at a coffee shop or in a store. On that note however, the sound to this album is more in line and true to the sound he had on his first few albums.
I actually really enjoy Thicke’s voice. I think he’s got a lot of soul and I do indeed like a lot of his music; this album just isn’t cutting it for me. That being said, there are a few standout tracks worth mentioning. The openers “An Angel on Each Arm” and “I’m An Animal” are upbeat and catchy and probably my favourite tracks on the album. Slower standouts are “All Tied Up” which is the perfect tempo for Saturday mornings when you’re half asleep waiting for coffee to do it’s thing, “Cloud 9″ with it’s whimsical beat, and “What Would I Be?” which in my opinion is the best ballad with it’s strong vocals and soulful key solos.
Like I mentioned earlier, not a bad album, just really, really lackluster. Hey, I just found a better word for boring!
Rating: 3/10
Label: Geffen Records
Favourites: An Angel On Each Arm, I’m An Animal, What Would I Be?
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