Petey Pablo Albums (2)
'Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry'
Release Date 12/10/2002
Tracks 17
Label Jive
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
During the nearly three-year interval separating Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry from its predecessor, no one quite knew what would come of Petey Pablo. He had come out of the gate in 2001 with one of the year's most memorable summer anthems, "Raise Up." That Timbaland production made Pablo an overnight celebrity, even before the release of his debut album, Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry. And that was it -- the album didn't spin off any sizable follow-up singles and fizzled quickly once "Raise Up" faded away by wintertime. It didn't help, either, that Pablo made very few guest appearances thereafter. So when Jive finally scheduled his sophomore album, Still Writing in My Diary, for the holiday season of 2002 -- and then pushed back the release date indefinitely -- the North Carolina rapper's future didn't look so bright. Jive finally did release the album in spring 2004, however, and the wait was ultimately worthwhile, for Still Writing in My Diary is a strong album that banished the one-hit wonder albatross that had hovered over Pablo since his breakout success three years earlier. The 70-minute album jumps off with front-loaded highlights (the sexually explicit lead single, "Freek-A-Leek"), hits its stride with a relatively daring midsection (some out-there Timbaland productions), and is capped off with a three-song finale of earnestness ("Roll Off," "Be Country," "He Spoke to Me"). Many of the highlights had been outsourced to select hitmakers: Mannie Fresh ("Did You Miss Me"), Lil Jon ("Jam Y'All," "Freek-A-Leek," "U Don't Want Dat"), Timbaland ("Get On Dis Motorcycle," "Break Me Off"), and Kanye West ("I Swear"). The remainder of the album is less hit-songy but not necessarily less appealing -- the less commercial the song, generally the more sincere its lyrical content and the more unique its production. Pablo even produces a few tracks himself ("Let's Roc," "Stick 'Em Up"). 2nd Entry overall is a surefooted step forward from Pablo's first go-round and should elevate the promising rapper to the status he deserves -- among the South's leading MCs, that is, commercially as well as artistically. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry'
Release Date 9/25/2001
Tracks 18
Label Jive
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Just as they'd done a decade earlier with West Coast gangsta rap, the major labels funneled millions of dollars into the early-2000s Dirty South boom, catapulting previously unknown artists like Petey Pablo to overnight-superstar status. Like Ludacris and Nelly, Pablo had a major label (Jive) with enough clout to guarantee national exposure and a lead single with a great video ("Raise Up") to drive album sales. And, like what happened with Ludacris and Nelly -- and many others -- Jive proved that they could manufacture a multi-platinum rap superstar overnight with its industry clout. But, as disheartening as the industry politics may be, particularly to all the myriad other Dirty South rappers with no chance at similar success, you can't slight Pablo -- he proves himself worthy of big-league success on his debut album, Diary of a Sinner. First of all, and most obviously, there's the gigantic lead single, "Raise Up." Jive went out of its way to hook up Pablo with Timbaland for a few songs, and the results are surely worth the hefty tab. Sure, "I" and "I Told Y'All" are album highlights, but it's "Raise Up" that once again showcases precisely why Timbaland is the best of the best. In addition to the trademark shuffling, bass-heavy rhythm and the catchy, singalong hook, Timbaland throws in some swirling guitar and violin sounds for a frenzied feeling that makes "Raise Up" one of the rowdiest Dirty South anthems of the decade. The remainder of the album isn't nearly as riveting as "Raise Up," but it's still worth listening to. Pablo shows that he's something of a Southern DMX -- a gruff, thuggish man among boys who is thoughtful and lyrical as well as spiritual and moral. Plus, though he's not afraid to boast, he never raps about money, cars, women, drugs, or anything remotely associated with "ballin'." It's this emphasis on the inner self rather than materialism that makes Pablo so refreshing. And it doesn't hurt that he handles all the rhymes on his album. So, even if many will be disappointed to find that nothing else on Diary of a Sinner comes close to "Raise Up," it's still one of the better Dirty South albums of the early 2000s, and surely one of the more sincere efforts. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
