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It's easy to imagine R&B crooner Bobby Valentino stretched out on a crimson, crushed-velvet couch as he delivered his self-titled debut. This pillow-talky album must have been recorded with candles filling the recording studio, but you can bet there was the faint smell of patchouli too. Valentino's first full-length has mystical touches in its overall slick and sexy production, touches that help separate the album from the competition in a way the everyday songwriting doesn't. Pan flutes, atmospheric interludes, and French women cooing sweet nothings flesh out the album, an album that's 99.9 percent "for the ladies," save an appearance from Valentino's main man, Ludacris. As limited as this sounds, Valentino and producers Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson make the album seem a lot more diverse than it really is by alternating the "let's get busy right now" numbers with the "you're very special, let's take this slow" numbers. That otherworldly production helps a lot too, as does Valentino's committed delivery, sounding like he's not at all tired of this sensual material, so why should you be? His Babyface-like voice is above average without a theatrical edge but with a charismatic street swagger and just the right touch of humble joy. As they would say in the tech world, "Slow Down" is the killer app, a single good enough to buy the whole album. Past the single, Bobby Valentino the album doesn't disappoint, but it is a bit frustrating when the smart music and bold "Real R&B Singers Needed" sign point to grander possibilities.
Condition:NEW.Drilled case.
TRACK LISTINGS
1 Some Bobby 0:34
2 Slow Down 4:18
3 Give Me a Chance 4:43
4 Never Lonely 4:42
5 Mista Valentino (Interlude) 1:08
6 Tell Me 4:20
7 My Angel (Never Leave You) 4:45
8 Want You to Know Me 4:49
9 Gangsta Love 3:45
10 Come Touch Me 4:10
11 I'll Forgive You (Interlude) 0:59
12 I'll Forgive You 4:23
13 Love Dream 4:31
14 Lights Down Low 4:45
15 One Girl to Love 5:01
16 Thank You Lord (Outro) 1:34
17 Slow Down Bonus Track / Remix 4:07
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