Late Night Special (Special Edition/Parental Advisory) [PA]

On the strength of "Grind with Me" and "Your Body," unapologetically sleazy brother act Pretty Ricky sold over 800,000 copies of their debut album, Bluestars. Follow-up Late Night Special ups the ante even more. They make forebears like Jodeci and Bell Biv DeVoe sound like pent-up prudes. Now that the members are a couple years older (they're no longer teenagers), their explicit flirtations don't seem quite as mismatched, and they also benefit from a set of songs that is stronger and more memorable ("On the Hotline" and "Leave It All to You" especially) than the debut. Producer Music Royale, who replaces Jim Jonsin, comes up with track after track of appealingly radio-ready backdrops, and the lyrical content isn't quite as one-dimensional. That said, lines like "Wanna drop it in your bucket," "I wanna put it in your stomach like some Robitussin," and "Make it firm like a bad perm" won't be winning any awards for chivalrous subtlety. [A U.K. edition was also released.] ~ Andy Kellman|

〈イェッサ～〉のフックが印象的な“Your Body”のクラブ・ヒットもあって、デビュー作『Bluestars』が日本でも異例のロングセラーとなったマイアミ出身アクトの2作目。現代版ジョデシィ!?とも言えるエロさをウリにアイドル的な人気を誇る4兄弟（ジャケの左から2番目、スペクタキュラーが人気No.1!）で、エネルギッシュなファスト・ラップとクリーミーな歌唱をブレンドし、サグでエロでスウィートというニュー・スタイルがフレッシュなグループなのだが、すでに全米チャート1位を獲得した今作では、歌パートを増やしてメロウ度を増強している。テレフォン・セックスを題材にした先行シングル“On The Hot Line”、ネリー“Dilemma”を思わせる“Leave It All Up To You”、程良い疾走感を湛えたメロウ・バウンス“Peer Pressure”のほか、キラッキラ感をふんだんに散りばめた甘～いスロウ群にも身悶えさせられるホットな快楽作。最高!!
bounce (C)池田 貴洋