Robin Thicke had all the makings in place to become a music superstar. Despite the indescribable talent (both lyrically and vocally) and good looks he possesses, he also had all the right connections. Born into TV royalty (his parents Alan Thicke & Gloria Loring - both TV superstars in their own right, his mother having a small recording career as well), at the age of 16, he befriended music mogul Andre Harrell who landed Robin a major label deal with Interscope. In the midst of recording, he penned a few records for the likes of Christina, Usher, Brandy and Mya to keep some change in his pocket, but devoted all his time to his own endeavor at the turn of the millennium, issuing forth Cherry Blue Skies, re-vamped as A Beautiful World in 2003. Critics praised it, his cult following adored it, and the mainstream ignored it.

3 years removed - along with his achieved status as one of the premier songwriters of his generation - from his debut, Robin takes a second shot at solo stardom with the aptly titled The Evolution of Robin Thicke. Much like his 2003 debut, Evolution paints Robin as an advocate for the creative and unrepressed, refusing to let his style and sound be captured by one lone genre. But where his debut was a bit more feral with its genre-hopping, Evolution takes a much smoother approach.

Though the mainstream - and record store - classification is “R&B/Soul”, it’d be a hard find in the mainstream to locate an “R&B/Soul” album that effortlessly cruises through so many genres - bending and melding in the process - as Evolution does. And even if you were to find one, it’s safe to say that it still wouldn’t have been executed as well.

It starts off with the brisk neo-soul thump of Got To Be Down, with Robin & Faith Evans portraying lovers caught in a classic game of “should I stay or should I go?” before segueing into the jazzy breeze of Complicated, with Robin‘s self-esteem issues taking a serious toll on his relationship. More sprinkles of neo-soul follow - the meditative Would That Make U Love Me and peppy Ask Myself - before Robin gets in touch with his inner “b-boy” on All Night Long; the obligatory, albeit above-average, club record seasoned with a Lil’ Wayne cameo for good measure.

Then Robin gets down right experimental and adventurous on the audaciously inapt yet ingenious salsa jaunt that is Everything I Can’t Have and smooth (see, also: cliché-ridden, in a good, conceptual way) bossa nova groove of Teach U A Lesson before settling back into more normal (read: mainstream palatable) rhythms on the quiet storm plea of I Need Love, sparse funk bump of the tongue-and-cheek (read: I’m serious but not really, ok, maybe I am) tale about the guilty pleasure associated with Cocaine and summery R&B bounce of lead single, Wanna Love U Girl - the sole Neptunes contribution that enhances the album’s vibrant pattern instead of downgrading it.

And to have this melting pot of sound peppered with Robin’s creamy vocals - equal parts tenor and falsetto - and clear-eyed lyricism that gives love (the gorgeous ode of endless love that is Lost Without U), sex (the sensual innuendo of the aforementioned “Lesson”) and life - (exhibited by the simple truisms of accepting fate and embracing faith presented on 2 The Sky and Lonely World) a starkly honest yet salient perspective - flawless live instrumentation all throughout - only solidifies Robin’s place as an essential asset in the realm of R&B/Soul.

While The Evolution of Robin Thicke is far from flawless - as solid as all the tracks are, 3-4 could safely be removed and the album still play as strongly - may not be a sales blockbuster and only leave Robin stranded in the realm of being a relative unknown, what matters is the quality of the music and the passion behind it. With both those firmly intact, one can only hope the future sounds of life, sex and love that Robin provides us with will sound this good.

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Got 2 Be Down* feat. Faith Evans | Complicated* | Would That Make U Love Me | Lost Without U* | Ask Myself | All Night Long* feat. Lil’ Wayne | Everything That I Can’t Have | Teach U A Lesson* | I Need Love | Wanna Love U Girl* feat. Pharrell | Can U Believe | Shooter feat. Lil’ Wayne | Cocaine* | 2 The Sky | Lonely World | Angels
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Retail Price: $9.99

Retail Worth: $29.50

Final Analysis: 87,000 (so far) are on the right track! Join ‘em!


Recommended: Yes