"Added 'Anticipation'…"

As seen on my other blog, College Radio Music.

Separating himself from nearly every R&B artist currently making music, Trey Songz is one of the most respected (yet underrated) artists mainly because of his work ethic. Since his introduction to the music world almost five years ago, Songz’s covers and mixtapes have garnered a style unique solely to the young man hailing from Petersburg, Virginia. Comparable only to the rates of Lil Wayne and Ne-Yo, the rate at which his music has been released in 2009 has been nothing short of blinding. Already holding the title for arguably the year’s hottest hook, the marketing and promotion for his third album, Ready, has been completely grassroots oriented.

By communicating with his fans via Twitter (and live streams), coupled with the leaking of new music every Monday, the anticipation for any material from Trey is beginning to reach alarming heights. The liberation of his demo tape, “Genesis”, and with his performance alongside Tyrese and Johnny Gill at this year’s B.E.T. Awards only helped set the scene for what would prove to be one of the most impressive releases of ‘09.

Approximately thirty minutes after midnight last night, the second in a line of three pre-album mixtapes, “Anticipation”, was released. Fast forward 24 hours later, the file has been downloaded nearly30,000 times leaving many with the feeling of thorough satisfaction. Simply put, the album/mixtape showcases an improved song crafiting ability from an artist which has always seen that as one of his strongest qualities. The vibe of the CD represents a laid-back demeanor as opposed to an industry-induced product with booming 808’s on seemingly ever other track. “Anticipation” finds Trey also tackling several topics including unfaithfulness on of the track, “Infidelity”.

An obviously regretful Songz battles his own morals by confessing:

“Most nights she might not sleep/ Worried where I might or I might not be/ Sheesh, for the life of me/ Man, what a life I lead…”

Weeks ago Songz spawned a firestorm of controversy with a record over Jay-Z’s “Death of Autotune” directing the vocals towards his idol, R. Kelly, for what he considered a “lack of enthusiasm”. If there is anything Songz mimics from Chi-town legend, however, the ability to make a sexually charged track is the most apparent. “Scratchin’ Me Up”, “You Belong To Me”, “Make It Rain” and “On Top” represents the tape’s erotic high points. The only feature happens to come near the end with the Sammie-assisted track, “She Ain’t My Girl”, which the two released via Twitter weeks ago.

Truthfully, “Anticipation” delivers on just that. Low points, if any, rarely show face on the album instantly placing this release under the “no-skip” category. As time passes, Trey could find himself having (one of) the year’s standout R&B release(s) (The-Dream, J. Holiday and Maxwell may argue this). With reactions like:

I was a little skeptical, but I’m 5 songs in, and all I can say is: “FIRE!” This is some straight sex-soundtrack.

Wow!!!! Late Night Music at its best! Fire!!!!

This is a breath of fresh air!!

He didn’t disappoint with this mixtape. But we gotta wait for the album.

…the only negative may be living up to the expectations brought forth with this release. Whatever the case, “Anticipation” now has the musical world more than Ready for August 4.