Switch to the mobile version of this page.

City Slang

        
Tweet

Email

Print
Share

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

City Slang

Formula = salaciousness and silk

Posted By Johnny Loftus on Wed, Dec 28, 2005 at 12:00 AM

Cocksure playa and sly trickster — Jamie Foxx’s dual personae derive from an unquenchable, but equally unassuming creative ambition. From Booty Call, to Steamin’ Willie Beamen, to Collateral, Ray, and choruses for Kanye? Of course; why not? And yet each project gets a particular wink and a smile, just to let you know it’s his; Unpredictable has that unique charm too, but it’s not enough. Foxx’s smoothness and eternal likability save him from becoming an R. Kelly facsimile like Ray J. But he can’t buoy modern R&B generica like “VIP” (“’Cause everyone in my party’s VIP ...” — oh, really?) or the mumbled come-ons of “Can I Take U Home.” Foxx is lost in these tracks, a nonfactor in his own vanity project. He recovers with the slinky title track (featuring Ludacris) and on “Love Changes,” the professional and, more importantly, believably emotional Mary J. Blige duet that nearly saves the entire album. But “nearly” isn’t up to Foxx’s self-set standards, and Unpredictable ends up being just the opposite. It’s a slick R&B record with the right producers, collaborators and central idea: to mix partying with passion, salaciousness with silk. But it puts Foxx inside a formula, and that’s never been his game.

Johnny Loftus writes about music for Metro Times. Send comments to letters@metrotimes.com.

Tags: Music

We welcome readers to submit letters regarding articles and content in Detroit Metro Times. Letters should be a minimum of 150 words, refer to content that has appeared on Detroit Metro Times, and must include the writer's full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes. No attachments will be considered. Writers of letters selected for publication will be notified via email. Letters may be edited and shortened for space.

Email us at letters@metrotimes.com.

Detroit Metro Times works for you, and your support is essential.

Our small but mighty local team works tirelessly to bring you high-quality, uncensored news and cultural coverage of Detroit and beyond.

Unlike many newspapers, ours is free – and we'd like to keep it that way, because we believe, now more than ever, everyone deserves access to accurate, independent coverage of their community.

Whether it's a one-time acknowledgement of this article or an ongoing pledge, your support helps keep Detroit's true free press free.