Trey Songz has always been considered as R. Kelly’s musical nephew. At least that’s my take on him. Trey Songz has a lyrical prowess that’s smoother than many of his counterparts. However, the bulk of his catalog contains tales of breakups, makeups, sex, cheating and oh….more sex. His latest album Tremaine doesn’t leave room to expect anything different. The album starts off with a seductive intro titled “The Prelude”, before it transitions to a heartfelt plea for an ex’s return on “Come Over”. The latter could easily be single that gains him more of an adult contemporary fan base. Although songs lke “#1 Fan”, “The Sheets….Still”,  take the album’s worth two steps back, they aren’t enough to tarnish Tremaine‘s credibility. 

“Nobody Else But You” feels like a backhanded compliment. Nonetheless, the is Trey Songz we’re talking about here. If anyone can pull that off he can. “Playboy” is a stellar number that finds him calling himself out for his promiscuous ways over a nostalgic 90s inspired track. Keith Sweat, eat your heart out buddy.  “Song Goes Off” proves yet again that Trey Songz wears the hat of regret well. This song is a smooth ballad that finds him trying to get an ex lover to admit she still loves him…in roughly 4 minutes or less. 

The funky, slinky guitar groove of “She Lovin’ It” has a hint of rock inspiration and offers one of the high points on the album. “Animal”, cleverly placed right after this track, makes lions, tigers and bears sound so sensual. Remember R. Kelly’s song “Zoo”? This is a worthy, updated version of that. “1×1” and “What Are We Here For” are Tremain‘s strongest pop offerings. Although neither of the songs are necessarily my favorites, I can see them being big hits for him. 

All in all, Tremaine offers little uncharted territory for Trey Songz. He has definitely matured over the years, but his core message is still intact.  Despite MIKExANGEL’s feature on “Games We Play”, the album is void of any features. This was actually refreshing to hear since Trey Songz can easily carry an album all on his own. Tremaine, b.k.a. Trey Songz, seems to live by the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. While this is true, I’ll be glad to see the day he decides to really break away from the mold.