Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines (feat. T.I. & Pharrell) [iTunes Plus AAC M4V]

Robin Thicke - Love After War (Deluxe Version) (Album) [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: R&B/Soul, Music, Neo-Soul, Soul, Contemporary R&B, Rock
Released: Dec 06, 2011

One of the more compelling and original-sounding singers of modern-day R&B, Robin Thicke has transitioned into a highly respected soul superstar. He's also an in-demand songwriter and producer, working with artists as diverse as Jennifer Hudson and 50 Cent. Love After War is his fifth studio album, and it finds the Canadian crooner doing what he does best: serving up slick and seductive jams primarily about ladies, love, loss, and lust. The first half is more upbeat, with big horn arrangements, faster BPMs, and high-octane vocals, especially on the synth-laced "I'm an Animal" and the instantly likable, righteously optimistic anthem "The New Generation." The title track is a subtle nod to Marvin Gaye's classic "After the Dance." The album's second half is generally mellower, slower, and more sensitive, with smooth guitar-laced joints like "Cloud 9" and "Full Time Believer." Where his last LP (Sex Therapy) was loaded with features, this has only one: longtime homie Lil Wayne shines on the single "Pretty Lil' Heart."

Robin Thicke - Sex Therapy - The Experience (Deluxe Version) (Album) [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: R&B/Soul, Music, Contemporary R&B, Rock, Soul, Neo-Soul
Released: Dec 15, 2009

A GRAMMY-winning singer, songwriter, and producer, Robin Thicke has long since escaped the shadow of his famous father, becoming a reliable go-to guy for quality modern R&B, collaborating with a wide variety of artists, including Usher, Lil Wayne, and Michael Jackson. Known for his falsetto vocal tone, lush arrangements, and bedroom-obsessed lyricism, he's kind of like a white R. Kelly, with a slightly more subtle approach and far less courtroom drama. Sex Therapy is his fourth full-length, and runs the gamut from gentle ballads ("2 Luv Birds") to more aggressive club jams ("Shakin' It 4 Daddy") and breezy party starters such as "Meiplé" with Jay-Z. The jazzy vamp of "Million Dolla Baby" and vaguely tropical "Jus Right" are also impressive; for extra bonus tracks, check out the enhanced version The Experience.

Robin Thicke - Something Else (Deluxe Edition) (Album) [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: R&B/Soul, Music, Soul, Contemporary R&B, Neo-Soul, Pop, Adult Contemporary
Released: Sep 30, 2008

Looking like a Europop album from 1997 or 1998, Something Else's sleeve design would be much more indicative if it grafted a bunch of little Robin Thicke heads onto each dancing and playing body in Ernie Barnes' Back to Sugar Shack, the painting used for Marvin Gaye's I Want You. Not only would it be apt, it would play to Thicke's predilection for populating his covers with several images of himself. But it would obviously cause some problems. While a few songs do modernize the sound and feel of Gaye's steamy 1976 classic — filled as they are with serene sexual energy and lush, impeccably layered arrangements built on rolling bongos, liquid basslines, and Thicke's acutely Gaye-indebted upper register — there are several inspirations floating throughout, including indications that Thicke has a deeper understanding of Brazilian music, correctly believes that Philadelphia International did not flame out in the mid-'70s, and has transitioned into doing rocking R&B à la Van Hunt (cool, relaxed, natural) rather than pre-New Radicals Gregg Alexander (forced, awkward, unintentionally seriocomic). Following The Evolution of Robin Thicke, which went to the top of the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and reached number five on the Billboard 200 (there was an Oprah appearance), Something Else features improvements in every aspect. From the tropical serenade opener to the album's quietly dazzling true close (the somber Lil Wayne collaboration "Tie My Hands" is really a bonus cut, having already appeared on Tha Carter III), Thicke has shed his affectations to the point where it's much easier to detect the sincerity he once obscured with hubristic tendencies. No longer a show-off, he sounds much more sure of himself; he would not have been able to pull off a socially conscious Southern-styled ballad like "Dreamworld," whether from a writing or singing standpoint, in 2003. Though his sources remain numerous, this is his most focused, least scattered, and least dilettantish set, and it benefits greatly from its brevity relative to The Evolution. That means everything has a deeper resonance — especially the ballads, of which there are several. The man does know his audience. [The Circuit City exclusive edition offers free downloads.]

Robin Thicke - The Evolution of Robin Thicke (Deluxe Edition) (Album) [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: Pop, Music, R&B/Soul, Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B
Released: Feb 13, 2007

Thicke - A Beautiful World (Album) [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: R&B/Soul, Music, Soul, Contemporary R&B, Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative, Neo-Soul
Released: Dec 13, 2002

Beautiful World marks the debut from one of Alan Thicke's sons, Robin. Like Morrissey, Thicke rides his last name, but musically he's on track with Jamiroquai and Justin Timberlake. He comes up with a delectable pop mix that's part Motown and part funk, giving Beautiful World a wide musical palette of sensuality and color. Thicke sets things up to be an emotional roller coaster that is self-searching and hungry for love, and such a move is impressive, but from the album opener, "Oh Shooter," one can sense the album struggling to develop into a full, solid set. Lyrically, Thicke is a little green, and as a singer his angel-like falsetto doesn't stretch far enough. He's riding the neo-soul/blue-eyed soul wave of the new millennium, which is definitely a welcomed effort inside the world of radio-tailored pop music. Unfortunately, that poses Beautiful World to get lost in the shuffle. Those who will take the time to really listen to Thicke's sweet stories will find Beautiful World to be enjoyable. "Brand New Jones" is a sunshiny groove layered in golden, synth hooks. "Flowers in Bloom" and the title track swoon with a springlike appeal; quick electronic beats soar throughout the latter, making for a feel-good moment. "When I Get You Alone" samples Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 for a funky R&B cut, and Thicke is stylishly slick throughout this sexy romp until the words, "Baby girl, you the sh*t/That makes you my equivalent" cheese things out. "I'm 'a Be Alright" doesn't do much better, for Thicke's vocals are hushed for some added sexual appeal, Lenny Kravitz-style, but it's already been done before. "Cherry Blue Skies" allows the album to bounce back just a bit before coming to a close. It's too bad Thicke didn't make Beautiful World as strict and raw as this perfect smooth soul standout, but it's safe to say that it's a sign of good things to come. Thicke has potential and Beautiful World is real, but much too focused on being a hardcore soul thing. Remy Shand pulled it off, but Thicke tried too hard.

Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines (feat. T.I. & Pharrell) - Single [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: R&B/Soul, Music
Released: 26 March 2013