The Three Kings project is a few years in the making, for the R & B trio of legends that is Tyrese, Ginuwine and Tank. They first released a single two years ago and announced a Single Ladies tour, but with solo projects, movie projects and label issues in the way, the project and tour were delayed. It wasn’t until Atlantic Records picked them up earlier this year that things became official. The lead single, “Sex Ain’t Never Felt Better,” provides quite the preview into what audiences can expect from the overall album. It’s R & B at it’s core, slow jams, baby making music, love ballads and songs that champion women. Simply put, it’s what the game’s been needing.
Three Kings, contains 15 songs, or 17 songs with the Target deluxe version. The slow groove starts pretty much immediately. The Underdogs, who have a long history working with Tyrese produced most of the project and serve as the writers on a majority of the songs as well. Tank who has written songs to Ginuwine and Tyrese in the past writes on a few tracks as well, with Tyrese and Ginuwine adding their contributions sparingly. Tyrese does however have sole influence on the album’s two interludes, which honestly serve little use for this project.
Three Kings is clearly this era’s version of LSG (Levert, Sweat, Gill) and much like their predecessors, Tyrese, Ginuwine and Tank strive to deliver their best selves on every track. There’s no room for egos or anything you might expect from three legends, it’s simply doing what you do best. All three singers appear on every track, sharing time evenly, and though some tracks obviously fit one singer’s style more than other’s, the men do their part to create an even platform of dominance, which helps show just how great this collaboration is.
The project does everything it’s supposed to and creatively I look forward to seeing how it pushes other artists to get back to the basics of R & B. TGT makes the legends proud with Three Kings. More than anyone, I think Gerald Levert is somewhere nodding his head in affirmation of a job well done. Surely Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, the rest of the members of New Edition and even R. Kelly—who I wish was involved in the project in some way—are also pleased with the result.
Prime Cuts: “Lessons In Love,” “Running Back,” and “OMG”
Three Kings receive a PARLÉ
Rating:
P…Horrible
PA…Tolerable
PAR…Good
PARL…Kinda Great
PARLÉ… Classic
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