Meet the Thickeness (Something Else - Robin Thicke)

Member Name: Lakerfanster

Product:	Something Else - Robin Thicke
Date:	17/09/09 (68 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great vocals, variety

Disadvantages: Not a lot

**Introduction**

Robin Thicke embarked on a solo career with the release of "A Beautiful World" in 2003 which featured the massively successful "When I get you alone" which sampled Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Before that he was known as a songwriter and producer under than name of "Thicke", He wrote and worked with a wide range of artists including such stars as Christina Aguilera, Mya, Brandy and of course his most heralded work on Usher's huge Confessions album for which he won a grammy.

**Something Else**

This is the third album from Robin Thicke and was written and recorded after he had finished touring the album "The Evolution of Robin Thicke". The album was released on 30th September 2008 and features production from Thicke and Pro J. The album was an instant hit selling close to 140,000 copies in the US alone which was good enough for number three on the Billboard chart. The album was released by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams' label Star Trak which is part of Universal and Interscope records.

1 You're My Baby
2 Sidestep
3 Magic
4 Ms. Harmony
5 Dreamworld
6 Loverman
7 Hard On My Love
8 The Sweetest Love
9 Something Else
10 Shadow of Doubt
11 Cry No More
12 Tie My Hands
13 I'm coming home
14 Ebb and flow
15 Magic touch


**My View**

"You're my baby" opens with a string section and then the clap of the percussion comes in with Thicke's falsetto. This is a modern day slice of Marvin Gaye soul. Thicke's falsetto vocal is the key to this track with his voice reminiscent of Maxwell and Justin Timberlake. This is a very impressive start to the album and really shows off his vocals.

"Sidestep" is an old school funk soul track with Thicke showing that he can do more than falsetto with a very impressively smoky soul vocal on this catchy track. This track is about being thrown around emotionally whe n all you want is to have a straight answer about whether your partner feels the same as you. Great song.

"Magic" features a great orchestral opening then light percussion reminiscent of Marvin Gaye's "what's going on?" the song then moves into a more Curtis Mayfield like sound with a great flow. Thicke's blue eyed soul vocals are on form here and this is a really good track without showing top gear yet.

"Ms Harmony" is up next and this continues with the 70's soul feel of the opening tracks. The falsetto is back and is another dreamy touch to this song. This track is about being so in love that you feel that your partner is just so perfect for you.

"Dreamworld" is an awesome track which mixes a Zero 7 style with old school soul. The vocal on this track is reminiscent of Justin Timberlake and is very emotive. This really shows the variety in his music compared to his biggest single. This track is summed up by the great lyrics "there would be no black and white, the world just treat my wife right We could down in Mississipi and no one would look at us trice" talking about his mixed race relationship with wife Paula Patton who you may know as "Claire Kuchever" from Deja Vu.

"Loverman" opens with a Blues guitar lick and then the beat comes in and the groove changes to a shuffling beat with Thicke in Marvin Gaye like mode which really works well. This is a great song about wanting to please your partner.

"Hard on my Love" is up next and this is a Curtis Mayfield like track which drives brilliantly throughout. His vocals are superb and the music is up to that standard to with a very catchy feel. This is one of the best up tempo tracks on the album. Very impressive stuff.

"The Sweetest Love" is up next and it opens with a great piano part and Robin Thicke's vocals come in, He resorts back to the wonderful falsetto whilst singing the verses in an emotive vocal that's in between. This track is about when you realise you are really in love and everything seems to be perfect with your partner. Another great track.

"Something Else" is a Michael Jackson like track which opens like Billie Jean but then changes into something like "Burn this disco out" which again shows the variety of Thicke. This is another catchy up tempo track and is a great one to dance to. Good stuff.

"Shadow of Doubt" is is a funky soul track with a rock edge. His vocal sounds different yet again and suits this track down to a tee. This is a very flowing track which is catchy with all the hooks and melodies going on. Brilliant stuff.

"Cry No More" is the most mellow track on the album and starts with a laid back acoustic guitar part and then Thicke's falsetto comes in, again dripping with emotion. This is a really impressive track which has so much great about it. vocals, beautifully laid back music and emotive lyrics.

"Tie My Hands" is a collaboration which you might not expect, it features rapper Lil' Wayne but has a ballad feel, You might not think this would work but it really does. This is one of the best tracks on the album and Lil Wayne's part actually adds to the overall appeal of the song. Very good stuff indeed.

"I'm coming home" is next up and this is another gentle piano ballad which sees the vocals change again. This is a really impressive track which is another really emotive track, this time about wanting to return home when you have been on tour for a while. Good stuff.

Next up is "Ebb and flow" which is another very good track with some nice soft guitar licks in the background with the the shuffling beat and his emotive vocals. This just shows the variety of his vocals to great effect. I really like the Marvin Gaye like woo's which were such a part of his music.

"Magic Touch" is a completely different track to anything on the album, This is a full on dance track and can you believe it?? It features Mary J Blige. Both artists shine on this track which has massive dance floor appeal. A great end to what has been a very impressive album.

**Overall**

Back when he released his debut album I was thinking he was another star, it was three years until his follow up and then nearly three until this one but it's worth the wait as this is a very good album indeed, polished, emotive, great vocally and full of fantastic tracks that prove that Soul is not dead. This is a really impressive album and he's set to release a new album later this year apparently so I will look out for that. Look out for my reviews of his previous albums in the meantime.

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