Stefan Urquelle, Trigga and Tremaine probably won’t go down as one of pop culture’s great dualities. Crystal Waters’ “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)” gets revived once again as “1×1,” a vibe that’s disrupted by the bouncy 808s on “Priceless” which is otherwise crippled by cliché lyrics about Trey trading his luxurious lifestyle for a special woman. Musically, Tremaine finds a consistent mid-tempo groove. He redeems himself with “Nobody Else But You,” staring in the mirror wondering why he takes his relationship for granted.

Kelly’s already-ridiculous 2007 track “The Zoo” Trey actually sings these lyrics: I go ape up on the donkey / I be throwin’ this banana all around / Put my face up in the monkey / No umbrella but the rain is pourin’ down.” Later, on “Games We Play,” Trey is back to using his smartphone not so smartly, stuck in a sorry cycle of breakups to make ups. The acoustic guitar-powered “She Lovin It” is a bit blunt, if not pushy (and problematic): “She said that she don’t wanna be f**ked / I said, ‘Why the hell are you sleeping naked?’” Meanwhile, “Animal” is a thematic derivative of R. Old habits die hard though, and the Trigga of days past pops up on Tremaine. Didn’t Trey tell you that he was a savage? Yes, he did, but on Tremaine, he also tells you how he feels about it - whether remorseful, afraid, or insecure. Ever wonder how it feels to be looked at like a piece of meat? The Virginia native paints a picture with a special sort of #firstworldproblems on the album’s opening lines: “I been stressed out / I ain’t feeling my best / All they want is my sex.” On the sensual “#1 Fan,” he fesses up to performance anxiety before bedding a dedicated follower, wondering, “Why am I so nervous?” He wants to settle down and give Mama Trey a grandkid on the conflicted “Playboy” - with its ’90s slow jam vibes and exquisite falsetto - if only he could bring himself to stop having sex with random women and lying to his girl. Trey welcomes you into his world on the 15-track project. Yet while Trey shows vulnerability on his solid seventh studio album, Tremaine is far from a PG-13 affair. “I’m a savage, but I’m just trying some different shit lately,” he croons on “Picture Perfect.” It’s true: The 32-year-old R&Bone vet isn’t slinging his hypersexual shtick throughout. Trey Songz has billed Tremaine The Album, his follow-up to 2014’s impressive Trigga, as a softer side of the guy who invented sex.

Music review trey songz tremaine