Bobby V (previously Valentino) is back with his fourth studio album, Fly On The Wall. The first thing that sprung to mind on receipt of the album was, ‘This better be good,’ having being a fan of his first two albums, Bobby Valentino and Special Occasion…
Thankfully, throughout Fly On The Wall Bobby V displays the attributes of a true R&B artist who sings with real emotional conviction, a trademark falsetto and addresses subject matters typical to the genre; from pining over that special girl to exploring the sensual side of a lady.
50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Twista, Plies and Cyphi Da Prynce all feature on the album along with production from Jazzy Pha, Bryan-Michael Cox and long time collaborators Tim & Bob.
On first listen, the intro and interlude with breathy vocals from sexy sounding women singing, I just wanna be your fly on the wall was reminiscent of the intro for the first album, titled “Some Bobby.” Stand out tracks are “If I Can’t Have You” and “Would You Be” with Tim & Bob on production. Bobby swoons in “Would You Be,” Me and you go together like milk and cookies, I love you even when you’re acting kinda moody. What a guy!
Production wise, Tim & Bob and Bobby V fit like Missy and Timbaland. In “L.O.V.E” Bobby really strains to hit those high notes in the chorus, but the beat is so hard (again produced by Tim & Bob) the straining can almost be excused. An honourable mention goes to his cover of “Rock Wit’Cha,” produced by Babyface and originally sung by Bobby Brown, where V sings with some real aggression; a nice change from his usual vocal approach.
Overall, it’s a decent R&B album with sexy production perfect for Summer. The Hip Hop features add a welcome diversity to his sweet vocals – it’s especially nice to hear Twista, who has been quite absent in the mainstream of late. However, 50 Cent could have easily been left off the track “Altered Ego”. The beat is so hype [typical Jazzy Pha], 50 raps so fast he sounds off beat and you can barely make out what he’s saying. Seeing as he doesn’t add anything to the song, I can’t help but think he’s on the track just for the sake of it, as he’s the biggest named rapper to feature… Just saying.
This album doesn’t show major progression from his past work, as lyrically and production wise he plays it very safe… which actually works well for him. One word for Bobby V is consistent, so if you want a nice listen Fly On The Wall is you.
Released: March 22nd, 2011
Label: Blu Kolla Dreams/Capitol
BUY: iTunes US / Amazon US / Amazon UK
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