Robin Thicke - Sex Therapy

Robin Thicke, while not the superstar he has the potential to become, delivered some great material these past years in the form of "A Beautiful World", "The Evolution of Robin Thicke" and "Something Else". This time around it's "Sex Therapy" on the review table.

With some piercing falsetto's, heavy moaning and the use of enough elevator music to keep you occupied until kingdom come, Robin Thicke left a real impression on us with "Sex Therapy", and no it's not a good one.

Sure the album kicks things off like you would expect from RT, with 'Mrs Sexy', a track with enough slow jam meat on her to provide some (addictive) repeat value and 'Sex Therapy' that could have walked right off a Marvin Gaye or Prince record. And sure there's 'Meiple' (ft. Jay-Z) and 'It's In the Mornin' (ft. Snoop Dogg) as the two tracks with real hit potential (although both certainly have their flaws). But things begin to seriously wane from there on when it comes to the lyrics, lacking any sophistication you would come to expect from a talented songwriter like Robin Thicke.

"Make U Love Me" is a perfect example of how simple lyrics can kill a track. While the production is good (and certainly playful) enough to carry an artist like Thicke, the overly simple lyrics like: "Imma show you how it feels when it's good, you know I'll do better than your boyfriend ever could, than your boyfriend ever could, than your boyfriend ever could, Imma do it better than your boyfriend ever could" take all the goodness out of what could have been a great song and leaves the listener with much to desire.

Not only is the album seriously lacking on the lyrical side, the recycled and same old, same old productions on most of the tracks (that in a few cases reminds us of elevator music) have nothing extra's to them to draw you in and keep you interested. 'Shakin' It 4 Daddy' (which lacks the same lyrical sophistication as 'Make U Love Me') has a downright annoying composition and Nicki Minaj as a feature that doesn't add but certainly subtracts from the track.

Luckily for us “2 Luv Birds” shows us that Thicke hasn’t lost it completely, although the vocals can seem a bit sloppy now and again, it’s a nice little ballad for that one special girl.

recycled beats, throwaway lyrics and more of the same average are the first things that come to mind when listening to Robin Thicke's fourth. While Thicke proved the world he can deliver great music with "The Evolution of Robin Thicke", the bitter taste of "Sex Therapy" is one that will not be easy to swallow by fans and newcomers alike. Gone are the magnificent productions a la "Magic" or "When I Get You Alone" and certainly gone are the wonderful ballads like "I'm Not Loving You" or "Lost Without You". If you ask us to sum it up in just one sentence: Robin Thicke sold his soul to the mainstream devil on this one... 

Robin Thicke's "Sex Therapy" in stores December 15th 2009.

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