Album Review: Trey Songz – Trigga
3 min read
10 years and 5 albums into his career, Trey Songz doesn’t look like stopping and why would he? With a voice that melts hearts and a physique that makes the girls go crazy, it’s a proven formula. Voice + Body = Success. To add to that he has the gift of the gab with lyrics that suggest his intentions and at times explicitly state them. He has a staff of writers and producers ready to give him the most sensual RnB tracks out right now. Then finally, collaborating with the likes of Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj and many more leaves you with the final result, it’s called Trigga, the musicians 6th album.
Jumping straight into the album the first track, Cake is a relaxingly powerful slow jam. Trey’s smooth vocal blends nicely into the arrangement. The drums and bass vary throughout the song to provide a chilled but energetic vibe. The song is simply arranged but the blend of instruments and effects added to the vocal make it easy to listen to.
Second track Foreign is slow in tempo with a catchy hook. It’s built around a simple chord progression and like Cake, the drums drop in and out fairly effectively. Talking about ladies is a common theme in Trey’s lyrics and Foreign makes a point on expanding on that theme with its promiscuous hints.
Dead Wrong has more of an RnB feel to it and features L.A rapper Ty Dolla. Songz has a lot of reverb on his vocals which is a nice effect, his harmonies are silky and sit perfectly within this number. Ty Dolla not only raps but sings as well and that brings a nice break from a dominant Songz vocal. The song drags on a little too long for my liking but is otherwise a solid performance by Trey and Ty.
Smartphones is the ballad of the album. The musician utilizes a sweet falsetto that glides over the top of this track. It’s a nice departure from the mid-range vocal arrangements that take up most of the album. He sings his heart out on this one and the production adds to the emotive energy of the track. If Songz needed a platform to show off his vocal diversity then this track gives him just that. Ladies make sure to keep tissues by your side after listening to this one.
Songz brings more of a Hip Hop feel to Change Your Mind. It is one of the few upbeat tracks of the album and the numbers contrasting instrumentation brings a refreshing flavor to the album. Trey’s voice has more of a soul style to it here and he belts out the chorus with gusto.
Trigga has a host of singles ready to be unleashed in clubs around the world but as an album, choosing to stick predominantly with slow tempo RnB leaves it trapped in a box. The songs are catchy and fun with melodies you can sing along to but one after another the record can feel a bit repetitive.
