T-Pain

For a man who rode into the 2008 MTV Music Awards on an elephant and spends most of “Thr33 Ringz” trying to convince the listener that he is the “ringleader” of R&B, T-Pain does little to push the envelope on his third album. I wasn’t expecting his signature use of Auto-Tune to be abandoned in an attempt to expose a hidden, Nas-like flow or a melodious, Usher-like voice. I was hoping for an album of infectious tunes on par with previous hits like “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” and “Bartender.” The reality is that more than half of the 21 tracks on the deluxe edition of “Thr33 Ringz” blend into one continuous and forgettable song. The few exceptions are noteworthy, but a few good songs do not an album make.

T-Pain starts off with two tracks that are promisingly different from the monotony that characterizes a majority of the rest of the album. “Welcome to Thr33 Ringz Intro” provides an enjoyable minute of T-Pain’s mediocre rapping abilities over a bouncing beat with just a hint of background synths. “Ringleader Man” continues things with a strong and slow throb that is impossible not to sway back and forth to.

Similar beats, similar lyrics, and similar blandness take hold of the remaining tracks, with a few enjoyable exceptions interspersed throughout. I dare you to play any 30 seconds of “Freeze,” “Blowing Up,” “Superstar Lady,” and “Digital,” and see if you can tell them apart.

Relief comes in the form of the first single “Can’t Believe It” (featuring Lil Wayne). In this catchy song with sparse and snappy production—reminiscent of The Dream’s “Shawty Is Da Shit”—Pain promises things to his girl that make T.I.’s gifts in “Whatever You Like” look juvenile.

The enjoyable tracks continue with “Therapy,” “Long Lap Dance,” and “Reality Show.” Light and bouncy beats give “Therapy” and “Reality Show” their fun appeal. There is even a zip-a-dee-doo-dah-like whistling that accompanies the hook in “Therapy.” This, combined with T-Pain singing hysterical but effective lyrics like “1, 2, 3, 4 / Get the hell up out my door / 5, 6, 7, 8 / I don’t need your sex, I’ll masturbate,” make the track one of the highlights of “Thr33 Ringz.” “Long Lap Dance” plays like part two to “I’m N Luv (With a Stripper)” (and I mean that as a compliment). “Reality Show” brings back that funky Motown sound and is by far the best song on the record.

The end of the album consists of more forgettable tracks such as “Distorted,” “Bad Side,” and “Phantom.” Pain makes an attempt at a heart-felt ballad on “Keep Going” that proves he should stick to producing club hits and respecting the power of Auto-Tune. His second rapping track “Karaoke” features the cool and haunting background vocals of a gospel choir, but is butchered by the inexplicable and crazy yelling of DJ Khaled.

“Thr33 Ringz” starts off with potential but quickly slides into a complacent reliance on the same synth-infused beats that bring nothing new to the game that T-Pain once reinvented. There are a handful of tracks that change things up and will have a home on my gym workout playlist. On one such track, “Ringleader Man,” T-Pain croons, “My rhythms and rhymes keep niggas in line / Cause now is not the time to be lazy.” If only he followed through on this declaration for the entirety of the album.