R&B singer Bobby V reunites with producer Tim Kelly for his seventh solo album Electrik from SoNo Recording Group. Kelly, formerly of the production duo Tim & Bob, oversees the bulk of the album’s production.
When good R&B has to be sought out in the mainstream, Kelly & Bobby V had a HUGE task ahead of them in producing a quality album, sadly they fail. When I heard the lead single, "Lil Bit," featuring Snoop Dogg, I was impressed and hopeful for a great album. Recalling the magic from his breakout single "Slow Down," the song had a lovely laid back groove to it and was auto-tune free.
The album starts out with a smooth intro titled "Electrik." Musically I was prepared for a nice slow jam to follow up the intro; instead, Bobby transitions into an EDM sound over the next two songs. "Promise U" shows a little bit of help in the ballad department, but it's pretty forgettable due to the underwhelming vocal structure.
"Save Us," "Obsessed," and "Celebrate" all also suffer from underwhelming production & monotonous vocals. At thirty-eight years of age, the content, which Bobby is singing about, comes across as someone trying to reclaim his youth. It becomes repetitive and unintentionally funny, especially "Obsessed," which may be one of the year's worst songs.
"Triple Threat" shows some promise, but it's limited to weak production and lazy lyrics. There's nothing romantic about a man comparing his women to a 3 point shot, which Bobby does on this song. By all standards, this album is a massive misstep for both Tim Kelly & Bobby V. With both reassuring fans that they would bring back R&B and the vibe that was present on Bobby's debut, there is nothing outside of the intro & lead single "Lil Bit" to recommend.
Had Kelly given these songs to a younger artist, my response may have been better. However, given that he's produced classic songs with Bobby V, this album is inexcusable. Taking the vibe from "Lil Bit" or following the playbook that Bruno Mars, Eric Benét, and Raphael Saadiq laid out when producing a throwback sounding album would have been a better route to go.
Final Grade D-