Trey laments the fact that he’s “still kissing girls I don’t love, still stumbling out of the clubs” on the latter. “#1Fan” and “Playboy” almost make Trey sound like a changed man. “The Prelude” really helps set the tone of the album – it’s the same Trey fans know, bragging about sweating weaves out and whatnot, but with a new sultry tone, one that bleeds directly into the first proper song, “Come Over.” Sounding like a cut from a mid-90s playlist, Trey croons apologetic lyrics over a sultry backdrop. While Trey doesn’t totally go Aaron Neville on us, he forgoes his usual debauchery for a more soulful sound – ironically, the same sound he cut his teeth on more than a decade ago. Maybe that’s why Trey’s Trigga persona takes a back seat on this musical journey, instead letting the more mature Tremaine take the wheel. As we discussed on a recent edition of the YouKnowIGotSoulInStereo podcast, Trey finds himself at an awkward stage – still too young to be boxed into urban adult contemporary radio playlists, but way too old to be singing about pouring liquor on strippers in the club. When an artist as vocal as Trey starts playing the shy guy ( word to Diana King), red flags start flying. Mainly because it seemed that Trey himself was skeptical.ĭespite tons of press about his new reality show and the launching of his next tour this summer, Trigga’s been relatively mum about this album outside of a couple Instagram posts and quietly released singles. You'll easily get your fill of pretentious R&B with Tremaine: The Album, but you'll be brought some actually sweet tracks before it's over.Although I go into every new album with an open mind – as any halfway decent music reviewer should – I must admit I was a bit skeptical of Trey Songz’s seventh solo LP. It's unfortunate, because if you stopped listening then you'd miss out on all the good tracks the album has to offer. The first half of the record is just utterly atrocious, to the point where you might stop listening because you'll be cringing too hard. The album closes on the lovely ' Break From Love,' a piano ballad that sees Trey Songz being genuine rather than creepily recall sexual tendencies. Take a comparison between the first song and the last, and hear the difference in quality. There's legitimate, quality content on the second half of the album, featuring sweet tracks like the infectious, albeit repetitive, ' Games We Play' featuring MIKExANGEL and the charming and dark ' Picture Perfect.' Somehow, this is the same album that features such standard and subpar tracks like the basic ' Come Over' and ' She Loves It.' There aren't really many songs that really hit a special high that prompt a returning to, but at least everything on the second half feels more thoughtful. There is an immense difference in quality from the beginning half of the record to the latter half. ' Priceless' continues with actual genuine sweetness and thankfulness, evident in the melodies. Things for the rest of the album do start finding themselves repairing their past sins as it approaches its core, starting with ' Animal.' It's still pretentious, but the instrumental and trap elements help make the song fairly interesting and catchy. ' 1x1' is what the rest of this record should really sound like - energetic with subtleties rather than upfront explaining the detail of every sex position you undergo. Opening number ' The Prelude' is pretty good, remaining calm and sweet throughout - almost so much so that its gooeyness is almost tangible. To its credit, there are some good songs.