Back Home

Any speculation that Trey Songz was out of gas in 2019 and early 2020 -- following Tremaine the Album and two mixtapes in 2017 and 2018 -- is invalidated by Back Home. Nearly 70 minutes in length, the singers eighth album is loaded with adequate slow jams, and his voice can still elevate middling material. There are a few clear standouts, most obviously the title song, a duet with natural match Summer Walker that projects conflicting emotions (and a clever New Edition quote) rather than comfort. The gospel protest song 2020 Riots: How Many Times, recorded in response to the police killing of George Floyd and originally released on its own, is out of place amid all the explicitly carnal material, but its an important part of Treys catalog and would no doubt make early supporter Aretha Franklin proud. Almost every track is co-produced workmanlike by close partner Troy Taylor. Trey also has a new collaborator, his one-year-old son, somewhat amusingly credited from top to bottom as a co-writer. ~ Andy Kellman