Trey Songz’s ‘Chapter V’: Review Revue

Robbie Daw | August 21, 2012 1:48 pm

Smooth R&B stud Trey Songz hopes to have panties flying in massive volumes upon today’s release of his fifth LP Chapter V. We’re talking panties on floor. Panties on the window sill. Panties on the ceiling fan. Panties on the cat’s head. Panties on the lamp. Panties on grandma’s knitting needles while she cowers in the rocking chair over yonder. PANTIES ACROSS AMERICA, POP PICKERS!

Of course, the only way that much lingerie will get to flinging through the air — and that many copies will sell — is if the album is any good. So is it? Head below for our roundup of reviews of Chapter V, then let us know your own thoughts on Trey’s latest!

:: You can catch our own verdict on Trey’s latest in our weekly video feature The Drop.

:: The Los Angeles Times isn’t in the mood: “Attention, ladies: ‘Your panty dropper has returned.’ That’s how Trey Songz introduces himself on his fifth studio album, shortly before announcing his presence with a similarly themed claim. “To please your body is my mission,” he promises over a humid slow-jam… Songz, 27, might be R&B’s most single-minded star, with little of D’Angelo’s private mysticism or R. Kelly’s flair for the soap-operatic.”

Did we say “buy it”, “skip it” or “wait” to Trey’s new album?

:: Along these lines, the New York Times offers this: “For years Trey Songz has been squeezing into Mr. Kelly’s shadow, not a surprise for a man who, on his fifth album, Chapter V, spells interlude ‘interlewd.’ Trey Songz has never been as powerful a singer as Mr. Kelly, but he huffs and puffs convincingly, and his commitment to intimate detail mirrors Mr. Kelly’s; both men are happy to draw blueprints, giving big voice to small, sometimes odd details.”

:: The Washington Post adds, “He bridges the gap between sexless boy bands and unromantic raunchy singers, between young guys who sing shallow songs about strip clubs and old guys who sing heavy songs about their divorces.”

:: EBONY finds Trey’s latest “chapter” to be pleasant enough: “With 18 tracks featuring everyone from Rick Ross to Lil Wayne, it doesn’t offer any musical surprises, but is solidly – smartly – Songz. In other words, it’s highly likely to produce several club bangers and as he describes it “sonically seamless from beginning to end.”

:: USA Today was also seduced: “Songz has a knack for revving up the libido with smooth pillow talk and sly suggestions, and he doesn’t disappoint here.”

:: Finally, Red Eye Chicago sums it up with this: “At a time when R. Kelly shores up his fan base with throwback albums, Usher takes his musical cues from Ibiza and Chris Brown persists in being an irreconcilable d-bag, Trey Songz represents modern R&B’s de facto leading man. He’s generic, but in a reassuring way.”

Does Trey Songz’s latest album have you weak in the knees? Let us know your thoughts on it below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!