Ready
By
Since making his recording debut in 2005, Trey Songz has patiently and artfully crafted some of the most acclaimed and compelling R&B music of the decade. His first two Songbook Entertainment/Atlantic albums, ‘I GOTTA MAKE IT’ (2005) and ‘TREY DAY’ (2007), yielded a trio of top ten singles, ‘Girl Tonight,’ ‘Last Time,’ and ‘Can’t Help But Wait.’ And when the latter song garnered Trey a coveted Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, it marked the validation of the faith shown in Trey by the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who hailed him as one of ‘the most promising R&B artists we have had since we started the company 60 years ago.’ Now, with the 2009 release of ‘READY,’ Trey Songz is more than ready to claim his place in the pantheon of R&B greats.
From the street single, ‘Brand New,’ to his self-described male version of Mary J. Blige’s ‘Be Without You’ in ‘One Love,’ the Virginian draws on a range of influences to craft an album that will thrill his longtime fans and happily surprise all newcomers to the Trey Songz story. Indeed, with its blend of hip-hop, R&B, and pop – exemplified by tracks like ‘Black Roses,’ where Trey croons over a distorted guitar – ‘READY’ demonstrates his growth on every front. The third time around, Trey displays a new vocal maturity combined with his renowned ability to twist notes and keys effortlessly, while presenting an increasing breadth of subject matter.
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Love It!
Now I am not a fan of some of the R&B that some artists are putting out these days. However I think this CD is hot and is definitely quality music. I wish more artists would take the time to put out QUALITY WORK!
I was suprised...
It’s good. I liked almost all the songs and I find that rare. Get it/download it! Unless you’re ONLY into old school r&b, you’re probably gonna enjoy this. One of the best r&b albums in the past few years.
Damn near classic...
From a male’s perspective, I can say that I truly enjoy this CD and Trey Songz is incredibly talented. He has a very distinctive voice, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him become an R&B icon through the years. This CD, is hands down one of the top R&B albums of the year, yet it does fall short in achieving Trey’s true potential.
In my opinion the thing that holds this album back is probably the lack of creative control that Trey has in the process. Time and time again we see talented artists signed to major record labels and the net product is watered down formula music that sadly tries to re-create the magic or purity of music from back in the day. People have become bored with music hence the miserable album sales and all the illegal bootlegging, however amidst all this “machine” music Trey’s talent overrides the lackluster influence from whack A&Rs and executives in the music business…yeah he’s that good. I find it hard to imagine that any music executive could prompt or cause Trey to do the things he did with each song, I’d imagine them telling him to simply go sing the song and to hit the right notes, yet Trey went into the booth and PERFORMED these songs clearly he has studied and perfected his craft hence he is “Ready”.
From the start to finish the CD contains solid tracks all the way through, and there is something on there for everybody. Personally I find it hard to imagine that LOL:) is on the same album with “Black Roses” and “Love Lost” (the lack of creative influence). Nonetheless, Trey doesn’t disappoint and delivers strong vocals on each track. My personal favorites include: “Be where you are”, “Black Roses”, and “Love Lost”. The track “Be Where you are” has the potential to make him appeal to other audiences as it shows his versatility. “Love Lost” uses Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” sample but not in a manner that that is too too obvious, and this is probably the best song on the album as it shows true growth in vocal abilities and content. I don’t want to downplay any other song on the album because honestly each track (including the interludes) are good even LOL:) has its moments with it’s silly catchiness.
Overall, this CD does show promise for Trey in the future. I don’t think he’s truly found his niche yet but he does deliver on the more mature sounding R&B better than the silliness of LOL:) or the R.Kelly like sexually motivated tracks,yet we all know the mature sound doesn’t exactly sell as well as the contemporary crap. I hope he has positive figures guiding him because honestly the dude seems lost and awkward at times (not on the album but in general) because he has so much talent it’ll be a shame that it goes to waste. Lastly, the singles picked to promote the album were all terrible choices!
Move over R. Kelly...
Between Trey Songz and Robin Thicke, I think that 2010 is the year for makin’ babies. While both this album and Thicke’s `Sex Therapy’ have their low moments (both Songz’ `LOL
’ and Thicke’s `Meiple’ are two of the worst songs I’ve heard this decade), their good far outweigh their bad, and especially in Songz’s case, the album is one I will listen to over and over again.
This was such a pleasant surprise.
Okay, I’ll get the bad out of the way. Like I said, that `LOL’ song was just, well, bad. It’s just stupid, and I’m sorry, but the fact that that one kids name is Soulja Boy Tell’Em (Tell’Em, really?) just annoys me. The only other song that I can say I don’t really like is `Be Where You Are’. I just find it oddly dated sounding and kind of bland.
Two out of seventeen tracks aint half bad.
Some songs, while I like them, I can see could have been better. `Does He Do It’ is a catchy and fun song, but the repetitive chorus gets obnoxious and irritating. `Jupiter Love’ sadly follows the glorious interlude `Ready to Make Luv’, and so it fails to ignite in the way I wanted it to (why wasn’t that interlude made into a four minute song?), but it still reaches nice heights of sexy. Honestly though, no one should EVER use the phrase `super duper’. For me, the inclusion of that corny line took the song down a notch for me. `I Need a Girl’ is one of those songs that really works yet doesn’t stay with me. I love the beat and Trey’s vocals, but the lyrics come off rather shallow after a while. You wouldn’t think that, but it happens. It is also very pop sounding to me, which is not something that this album feels like overall.
The rest of the album is near perfection.
Before I break into the `best’ of the album, I’ll tackle the interludes. `Panty Droppa’ is a perfect opener; simply engrossing and engaging and gets you all ready for what is to come. `Hollalude’ is smooth and tantalizing; a perfect intro to the lovely `Holla If Ya Need Me’. But, like nothing on this album is as stunning as `Ready to Make Luv’; nothing. Vocally, emotionally…the whole thing is just flawless. I really wish that had been a full length song.
Now, as for the nine tracks that reach the highest, here is my ranking (and thoughts).
9) `Holla If Ya Need Me’. The song is just silky smooth and so easy to listen to and ge swallowed up in. It has an almost haunting quality (which is also prevalent on the interlude). It’s a great relationship song that spells it out rather effortlessly, showcasing the ups and downs of a relationship, one that revolves around a real love-swell.
7) `Love Lost’. The tenderness in Songz’ voice is VERY prominent on this track, and it works beautifully as he reminisces about a love he wishes he never lost. It’s a sad yet beautiful song that hits all the right chords (and I LOVE that he’s listening to Aerosmith!).
6) `Black Roses’. This song has grown so much on me since getting the album. It has an almost `new age Rihanna’ feel to it, with the rock influences. Trey pulls it off thanks in large part to his vocals, which are the part that has grown on me since first hearing it. I initially thought that he was reaching too much with his voice (coming over strained, which he does at one part in the beginning), but he pulls it together and actually dominates the second verse and just milks this whole song brilliantly.
5) `Successful’. This is a different sound for Trey (darker almost) but his duet with Drake is just stunning, and very poignant for this new breed of celebrity.
4) `One Love’. I just love this song. It is so soft, tender and emotionally consistent. Trey really hits the mark on this one. Vocally he is stunning, lyrically it is moving, and just the whole overall package feels complete and stirring.
3) `Yo Side of the Bed’. The closing track is truly a sublime example of why Trey is an artist to watch. This may be his most moving and touching (and emotionally invested) vocal on the whole album, showing full range and full potential (this guy is only going to get better). The song is so moving and so universally felt that I don’t how anyone can listen to and not feel the impact of this song.
2) `Say Aah’. I just, UGH, think this song is brilliant. One of the best club songs of the decade, easy. I mean, how can you not just sink into this one?
1) `I Invented Sex’. Yeah, this is it. I kind of didn’t get this when I first heard it on the radio, but the more they play it the more I love it. It really defines all that Trey is. His silky smooth vocal delivery is stunning here (it’s easy to see that this guy once wanted to rap, because while his tenor is more suited for R&B, his flow is effortless) and he content is sultry and evocative and provocative and just enticing from start to finish.
Now, put this in your stereo and get ready to make a baby.
3-1/2 stars -- Not a classic like everyone says but it's still good
Trey Songz is one of those artists that I was surprised had actual albums — not that he isn’t good, but usually male R&B crooners that spend most of their early career singing the choruses to rap songs don’t actually get to release any of their own stuff (Rell, anyone?). I always planned on listening to some of Trey’s albums but I never got around to it until recently, and now I picked up his latest album, Ready.
There are a lot of good songs to find on here, like “I Need a Girl”, “I Invented Sex” and “Successful” (although as usual, Drake sounds like he’s talking rather than rapping). “Yo Side of the Bed” (which isn’t what you might think it’s about; more on that in a minute) is pretty decent too. In fact, very few songs are fast-forwardable, so why only 3-1/2 stars? Well, it’s like what my brother asked when he reviewed Silk’s album Tonight: how many ways can you say “freak me, baby”? Yeah, I’m sure most of the ladies have no complaints, but come on, man; you have a good voice; change up the subject matter a bit!
And a few songs like that are skippable. “Scratchin’ Me Up” (one of the three tracks on the deluxe edition) doesn’t feel right somehow, and “Does He Do It” suffers from a repetitive and unimaginative chorus. “Say Aah” is a mindless club track, and “LOL
” never should have happened. Ready is still a solid album; your best bet, though, is to play it when you and your partner want some “special” time.
Anthony Rupert
my new favorite
my comment title says it all. i really love this album, it’s been in steady rotation in my car since i received it for valentine’s day.
LOVED IT!
I was able to save it and burn it to a cd. It also saved on my i-tunes.
trey songz ready album
I LOVE TREY SONGZ CD, the case was cracked when I received it, but the album is GREAT LOVE IT!
One of the best this past year
I was not expecting this album to be good. I was pleasantly surprised that it is. I love just about every song on this album.