Trigga
Trey Songz
(Atlantic Records)
Two stars
Trey Songz makes crafting R&B hits seem easy. But in his latest set, Trigga, his muse is beginning to run dry. While there's plenty of fun, there's scant evidence Songz has attempted to create an album more memorable than the five preceding works. For all its catchiness – thanks in part to a sampling of Teena Marie's Ooo La La La – the lead single Na Na sounds like something that could have been released alongside his biggest pop hit in 2010, the Nicki Minaj collaboration Bottoms Up. In the breezy SmartPhones, Songz details his troubles of staying in a monogamous relationship. The track neatly encapsulates Songz's approach: to sing sweetly about acting badly; as he further demonstrates on Disrespectful, featuring Mila J Trigga, which could have done with more self-reflection and some risk-taking. Instead, one senses Songz's career is beginning to plateau. "Ain't you tired of this life / don't you ever get bored," Songz croons on the pleasant but uninspiring Y.A.S. Some of his fans may be wondering the same.
* Melanie Sims / AP
