T-Pain - Thr33 Ringz (CD)

All Music Guide

Hated on for his overthetop appearance, his constant use of the electronic AutoTune voice filter, plus guest shots on maybe 30percent of the RB or hiphop singles released during the years 2007/2008, TPain is the full package in a sidekick's disguise. Like a garish version of his label boss Akon, he's a singer/songwriter/producer who doesn't evolve much over this avalanche of releases and guest shots, but Thr33 Ringz proves he's much more aware of his limitations. First, there's the long guest list here, featuring highpower names like Lil Wayne, T.I., Kanye West, and Akon himself. Then, there's the album's concept, which finds a series of perfectly polished and unsurprising numbers held together by a circus theme, allowing TPain to exploit his "Ringleader Man" persona; hyping every act and stunt while pacing the parade for maximum impact. Three tracks in and Ludacris appears on the goodtiming "Chopped N Skrewed" where the Southern style of remixing is mimicked with Luda's excellent sens...e of humor. The futuristic highlight "Blowing Up" finds Ciara seducing TPain with quirky references to techno and electronica plus a rocksolid hook. Shame that the ringleader's weird way of rhyming "mansion" and "Wisconsin" is the high point of "Can't Believe It" since guest star Lil Wayne seems on autopilot. Wait 'til the breakup song "Therapy" and you'll get two Waynestyle lines to choose from with TPain offering "1234/Get the hell up out my door/5678/I don't need your sex I'll masturbate" while guest Kanye West gives up "You too much pressure doll/You gonna raise my cholesterol." There's no big finish and Akon's dream of turning "every bullet to a Hershey's Kiss" so we can "eat away our fears" is just example of why "Change" is awful, but this is an otherwise entertaining example of the gimmickfilled RB/hiphop album done right. - David Jeffries, All Music Guide Read more Less