The University News

Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: Culture

Media Credit: courtesy Google Images

Ready, the third album from R&B artist Trey Songz, is definitely a CD to have in your collection.

The album features several hot singles and makes this CD one not to pass up.

The first is "I Need a Girl," which peaked at number six on the U.S. R&B charts. Others include "LOL :-)," featuring Gucci Mane & Soulja Boy and "Say Aah," featuring Fabolous.

Another track off the album, "Successful," features Drake and took the whole country by storm, getting everyone singing "I suppose, I just wanna be, I just wanna be successful." Drake also recorded another song with Songz titled "I Invented Sex."

The album, released Aug. 31, peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and number two on the U.S. Top/Hip-Hop Albums. It sold 131,000 in its first week and a cumulative 271,000.

There is an obvious growth from his first two albums - I Gotta Make It (2005) and Trey Day (2007) - to now.

Ready can be listened to straight through, from the first to the 17th track, without the need to skip songs.

Troy Taylor, Johnta Austin and Delante Murphy executive produced the album. They did an excellent job of putting it together with influences of hip-hop, R&B and pop.

Songz and Taylor had their first encounter when Songz was just 15, and Taylor has since helped develop him into one of the current superstars of R&B. The two even started their own production company, Songbook, in 2004.

The third single off the album, "LOL :-)" was not my favorite. It was a little too commercial for me. But, overall, I can still jam it when I'm riding in the car with my little sister.

While listening to this album, I couldn't help but bob my head, especially when I came to track 16, "Holla If Ya Need Me."

Songz's music is not the only thing showing signs of change. He has noticed his own maturity, and even mentioned in the album's liner notes,;"With every move you make you have something to prove. I'm growing, as a person, as an artist."

Something small that caught my attention from this album was the repetition of "Yeah." It's tiny, but it is very catchy.

You can even hear Songz say the "yeah" on Drake's smash hit "Best I Ever Had" during the first verse. Subtleties like that add to the album and make it a hit.

So, gentlemen, if you want something nice to listen to (and set the mood) while driving in the car with that very special lady, Ready would be a good choice for the night. It's an album that can be enjoyed by all. So make sure you have Ready in your CD player or on your iPod - you won't regret it.

djordan@unews.com

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