Spring Break
Thr33 Ringz isn't worth price of admission
John Holmes
Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: Entertainment
12/04/08 - Not since Cher has a singer derived as much success from voice technology as T-Pain. As sad as it is to call the man behind "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')" and "I'm N Luv (With a Stripper)" an innovator, it stands that T-Pain introduced a new style into today's mainstream hip-hop scene.
A hook from T-Pain seems to be all it takes for a rapper to score a number one; how else do you think Flo Rida could sell records?
Amidst the deluge of guest appearances, T-Pain has released his own albums as well, including his latest, Thr33 Ringz. How does the King of Auto-tuning fare?
Not great. The album is a veritable circus of bland, uninspired club tracks, good concepts that fail in execution, and horrible concepts that should have never seen the light of day.
Let's start with "Can't Believe It," the leadoff single that is currently inescapable in clubs. Its ubiquity is confusing, however, when you consider that it is a bland, plodding, down-tempo number with no hook to speak of.
Clever almost-rhymes like "I can put you in a mansion / somewhere in Wisconsin" can't save this song from being the least danceable song you'll hear on your night out in Providence. However, it does give you a perfect place to take a break and get another drink.
Other noteworthy tracks include "Chopped n' Skrewed," its chorus sounds literally like a CD skipping. It's an interesting idea on paper, but listening to it is just annoying.
Less annoying but less interesting are "Freeze" and "Blowing Up," featuring Chris Brown and Ciara respectively. They're both sort of catchy, and the guest vocals mesh well with T-Pain's (Brown's especially). However, you're certain to forget both tracks less than 10 minutes after hearing them.
Another clever idea that Pain botched is "Long Lapdance," a fourth-wall smashing, down-tempo bump-and-grind in which T-Pain laments spending money on lapdances that only last three minutes. To counteract this travesty, he's decided to make his own "Long Lapdance" song, and it's a clever idea, but you won't be thinking that while you're waiting for the four-minute and 36-second song to end.
A hook from T-Pain seems to be all it takes for a rapper to score a number one; how else do you think Flo Rida could sell records?
Amidst the deluge of guest appearances, T-Pain has released his own albums as well, including his latest, Thr33 Ringz. How does the King of Auto-tuning fare?
Not great. The album is a veritable circus of bland, uninspired club tracks, good concepts that fail in execution, and horrible concepts that should have never seen the light of day.
Let's start with "Can't Believe It," the leadoff single that is currently inescapable in clubs. Its ubiquity is confusing, however, when you consider that it is a bland, plodding, down-tempo number with no hook to speak of.
Clever almost-rhymes like "I can put you in a mansion / somewhere in Wisconsin" can't save this song from being the least danceable song you'll hear on your night out in Providence. However, it does give you a perfect place to take a break and get another drink.
Other noteworthy tracks include "Chopped n' Skrewed," its chorus sounds literally like a CD skipping. It's an interesting idea on paper, but listening to it is just annoying.
Less annoying but less interesting are "Freeze" and "Blowing Up," featuring Chris Brown and Ciara respectively. They're both sort of catchy, and the guest vocals mesh well with T-Pain's (Brown's especially). However, you're certain to forget both tracks less than 10 minutes after hearing them.
Another clever idea that Pain botched is "Long Lapdance," a fourth-wall smashing, down-tempo bump-and-grind in which T-Pain laments spending money on lapdances that only last three minutes. To counteract this travesty, he's decided to make his own "Long Lapdance" song, and it's a clever idea, but you won't be thinking that while you're waiting for the four-minute and 36-second song to end.
