Things Have Become So Mundane

Musical history is littered with no hit wonders of actors who tried to sing like Bruce Willis and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Even those who manage to score a hit or two like Jennifer Lopez still lack any credibility from critics or true music fans. But the preconceived notions of actor turned musician shouldn’t be hung upon Jamie Foxx because unlike the dude from 30 Seconds to Mars and the like, Foxx is a classically trained pianist who even landed a scholarship because of it. Also his appearances on the two Kanye West albums were surprisingly good. So with that said, Foxx’s new release, Unpredictable, could possibly not be just another vanity record like any Dogstar record.

Unpredictable if fact isn’t even Foxx’s first music album as he put out a little heard album in the early 90’s. Unfortunately the new album would fit in the time period because many of the songs on this album would fit well in the era when R&B songs like Do Me, Freak Me, and Knockin da Boots ruled the charts. Many songs on the album are littered with sophomoric lyrics like, “Do you want to get high, you want to get fired up, you want to get sexed, you want to get tied up?” (Do What It Do). Personally I’ll pass. Then there’s “I know you’re used to dinner and a movie, why not be my dinner while making a movie” (Unpredictable). I guess they can name that movie Booty Call II. Then there is Three Little Words where Foxx ends every line in the song by singing “sex.” I have a feeling those three little words really don’t have anything to do with love.

What is most disappointing is that even though he’s a skilled pianist who easily learned all the parts for his role as Ray Charles, there is very little piano on the album and Foxx instead primary sings over aggravated hip hop beats. And even the litany of credible artist can’t save these songs. Mary J. Blige shows up on the trite duet Love Changes that Mary wisely didn’t include on her album that was also released this week (see my review - Anybody Who's Ever Loved You Know Just What I Feel). Then Kanye gives an uninspired verse on Extravaganza while Ludacris, Twista, The Game, Snoop Dogg also lend sophomoric raps to go along with the songs they are on.

The album starts to get better near the end with the appearance of Common on U Still Got It (Interlude). That is followed by a glimpse of what the album should have been with Heaven where Foxx is on the piano with little accompaniment singing a love song in vein of Luther Vandross. The album is capped off with the emotional Wish U Were Here, a touching song about the Grandmother who raised him. Sadly these songs were too little too late to save the album.

Song to Download – Heaven

Unpredictable gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.