By Odeisel
Somewhere in the post New Jack Swing era, brought on by Babyface mania, male R&B singers forgot how to love. They forgot how to emote like men. Gone were the days of Teddy P and in came paying rents and pandering like chumps with capes a flappin.’ Most are either coochie hunters or expensive bag buyers. Tank’s new album, Now or Never is stuck in this malaise, with the vast majority of the album preoccupied with sex and little artistry to back it up.
In terms of theme, this album is the same song all over again, like coming home to your house and finding the cleaning lady rearranging stuff. There are slight alterations to the same tempo rhythms but they all end up with Tank in the bed, “licking you from head to toe,” even if he just got your hair and nails done so you could go out.
The Captain Savem aesthetic is in full force on “Emergency” when Tank equates a hard up honey with one that is in dire need of “mouth to mouth.” He’s not worried about saving her life but with getting there before someone else can prey on her. The digital guitar solo recalls the 90s (think Stanley Brown’s solo from Run DMC’s “Pause”). Also very 90s is the water dripping, slow bump of album intro “Showtime” which serves as warning that Tank’s is going to put it down.
“Sex music” features a snare drum and boom-clap drum pattern, accented by big wind and Tank’s computer- assisted voice. “Scream” finds Tank sure that he’s putting it down but in dire need of 3rd party affirmation with a weak The-Dream-like falsetto. “Can I” is more of the same, as is “Amazing.”
Drake and Chris Brown show up and attempt to salvage the album on “Celebration” and “Foreplay,” respectively. Too bad both songs are limited by the same lame subject matter. It’s celebration time and it’s time to unwrap her gift which you can’t find in stores. Drake’s flow is nasal and lively but the song is lame. Brown blows Tank away and should have been given the song for his album.
Once Tank finally gets around to talking about something else, he’s rendered impotent by his own begging. On “Keep It 100” he admits that he never lied to her until he fell in love with her and now he’s lied so much that she won’t believe him and he feels phony. Most of us have gotten caught up in something like that, so I feel the song, but it’s too little, too late.
Now “You Mean That Much” to him that he’ll do anything to get you back. He’ll give his last, dime cry to get her back and fight until he wins. He’ll work to gain her trust and he’ll die without her; he’s willing to lay down his life because she means that much. Dynamic production changes gears and ramps up energy and emotion with the addition of drums and added elements. The album closes with “I Can’t Make You Love M” with Tank finally opening himself up, but beneath the weight of the rest of the album, it rings hollow.
Now or Never is what would happen if Trey Songz was in his 30s and made an album in the 90s. It’s annoyingly one note and there isn’t enough firepower or depth here to make up for that.
Out of 5
Follow Odeisel on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/odeisel
Follow Us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/planetill
Join Us on the Planet Ill Facebook Group for more discussion
Follow us on Networked Blogs
Horrible review. As soon as you mentioned The-Dream in comparison I knew you could not possibly know anything about good music.
As soon as i read this response, it was clear you didn’t read the whole review. Or else you would have found something to actually dispute. Tank has more talent than this album.