Bobby Valentino Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Pity this man not just for having to subtract all but one letter from his last name (due to a legal matter involving another performer named Bobby Valentino), but also for giving his third album the same title as a Lil Wayne album released just months after it (though the title of this release is technically different by having a definitive article attached to it). The Rebirth doesn't sound like one; it's not much more than an attention getter. It is Bobby V.'s first album through EMI, following an amicable split from Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam, but beyond that, there's not much to differentiate it from Bobby Valentino or Special Occasion. The singer continues to work with Tim & Bob, who produce a quarter of the tracks, including two of the album's higher points in "Make You the Only One" and "On the Edge," and though connecting with Carlos "Los da Mystro" McKinney (two tracks) was a smart move, it hardly redefines him as an artist. Disregarding the misleading title, the album is as decent as its predecessors, good overall but uneven. Just don't expect anything remarkably fresh from a sonic (or even lyrical) standpoint. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After releasing his debut solo album in the spring of 2005 and then a stint as part of the collaboration Disturbing the Peace Presents Bobby Valentino, Valentino released another solo album, Special Occasion, in the middle of 2007, a slice of modern urban R&B with enough confidence to credit it simply to his first name, Bobby (assuming that everybody would know who it was). The opening track, "Anonymous," featured the talents of Timberland, who appeared to pop up on just about every R&B album from the mid-2000s, but this set the scene for the whole album, which was a series of 16 songs with Bobby making love to the microphone over a sensual beat and even more sexual strings. Especially indicative of this was the title track, which was a live get together with Valentino and one of his female fans. It was just as well the song was only two minutes long for the erotica (and hero worship) was building nicely into a crescendo. Coming from very different worlds, one could be fairly sure that Bobby Valentino had not listened or deliberately copied the vocal style of Craig David, but in some of the vocals, there was more than a passing similarity, although he strayed into Stevie Wonder territory on the track "I Was Wrong." ~ Sharon Mawer, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It's easy to imagine R&B crooner Bobby Valentino stretched out on a crimson, crushed-velvet couch as he delivered his self-titled debut. This pillow-talky album must have been recorded with candles filling the recording studio, but you can bet there was the faint smell of patchouli too. Valentino's first full-length has mystical touches in its overall slick and sexy production, touches that help separate the album from the competition in a way the everyday songwriting doesn't. Pan flutes, atmospheric interludes, and French women cooing sweet nothings flesh out the album, an album that's 99.9 percent "for the ladies," save an appearance from Valentino's main man, Ludacris. As limited as this sounds, Valentino and producers Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson make the album seem a lot more diverse than it really is by alternating the "let's get busy right now" numbers with the "you're very special, let's take this slow" numbers. That otherworldly production helps a lot too, as does Valentino's committed delivery, sounding like he's not at all tired of this sensual material, so why should you be? His Babyface-like voice is above average without a theatrical edge but with a charismatic street swagger and just the right touch of humble joy. As they would say in the tech world, "Slow Down" is the killer app, a single good enough to buy the whole album. Past the single, Bobby Valentino the album doesn't disappoint, but it is a bit frustrating when the smart music and bold "Real R&B Singers Needed" sign point to grander possibilities. Of course, it is a debut and, considering that, pulling a daring punch or two is forgiven. If he keeps on the path of breaking the R&B crooner rule book and really lets his inner maverick out, Valentino will go farther than competition can even imagine. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
