Ginuwine...The Bachelor

Q (3/00, p.119) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...THE BACHELOR is tremendous value, with Timbaland's harsh, stuttering rhythms the perfect compliment. Amusingly lewd, this still oozes the kind of Saturday night sauce once the sole preserve of Prince in his prime."

By the time Ginuwine...The Bachelor was released, Ginuwine was already well on his way to becoming R&B's next big thing -- thanks mainly to the ferocious word of mouth around his lead single, a cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry." Make no mistake, this was the album that indeed started it all for the young R&B sensation, catapulting him from relative obscurity to the limelight in less time than most of his contemporaries. Led by the ferocious chart-topping opener "Pony," Ginuwine not only became a staple for commercial R&B radio, but he upped the sexual reference ante for many up-and-coming male singers such as Dru Hill, Blackstreet, and such established producers as R. Kelly. Combining the influences of funk, quiet storm, soul, and even a bit of electro, Ginuwine effortlessly displays not only a powerful voice, but sharp songwriting and production skills. Ginuwine...The Bachelor was a promising debut and only a slight notion of great things to come. ~ Rob Theakston