Nearly fifteen years ago Ginuwine jumped on the scene with his first single, the overtly sexual “Pony”. Now, the 40-year-old who was once “So Anxious” is older and ready to show his fans the man he’s become on his namesake seventh album, Elgin, available today.
Ginuwine picks things up right where A Man’s Thoughts left off in that it expresses the same maturity…somewhat.
In an interview regarding the new album, Ginuwine explained that he wasn’t trying to get the younger crowd. “I realize where I am in my career, and I realize the age difference and everything. I’m just trying to keep the fans that once knew me back in the day, and I’m just trying to grow with them and have them grow with me.”
The latter may be true, but including the Trina-assisted “Batteries” (which happens to be the album’s only feature) says otherwise about attracting a younger crowd as it cries out as a cheapened attempt of recreating “Bottoms Up” and would be better suited for someone of both lesser caliber and age.
The same could be said for “Kidnapped”, which finds the married father of eight (his wife, rapper Solé, has two daughters from previous relationships) stating: “Girl you gonna get kidnapped. I’m gonna dress up like a robber and wear all black. Nobody’s gonna find out where I hid you at. You’ll get abducted and be my hostage. Let’s play a game tonight.” Although the track has been around for a while, if Ginuwine was truly interested in introducing fans to who he is as a man today, he could have done a much better job by leaving off this childish crap.
That’s not the say the whole Bryan-Michael Cox executive produced album is crap. The album opener penned and produced by Tank, “Heaven”, is a great starting point to kick things off from the last album and showcases Ginuwine at his best. “Break” follows suit in classic Diane Warren fashion as an emotionally-charged ballad while the album’s lead single, “What Could Have Been“, is another standout track.
But things soon head downhill on “Drink of Choice” as Ginuwine describes his lady as, you guessed it, his drink of choice. The same rudimentary lyrical content is included on “Why We’re Fighting” with Ginuwine explaining, “I don’t want to fight, and I don’t want to fuss. I just want to kiss you and just make love.” Really G, who wouldn’t?!
Ginuwine manages to redeem himself, though, by marking the maturity of a man going from “Pony” to the sexual sophistication of “Body” as well as utilizing the modern sound of “Frozen”, the coldest track on the album, to sympathize with a love gone and done wrong.
Elgin offers a couple more standout tracks than Ginuwine’s previous offering but also includes more wasted space. The standouts, however, happen to be some of his best material to date, and the album continues to present Ginuwine on his mission to mature and remain relevant, which true fans will appreciate as the journey continues.
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