After a universally-agreed upon disastrous 2014, spearheaded by a terrible album no one wanted and a lawsuit which nearly ruined him, Robin Thicke has spent most of this year laying low. However, about a month or so ago, the soul singer quietly returned to his roots and core audience with the track “Morning Sun.” The song was well-received enough that there was hope that Robin could at least return to the level, pre-“Blurred Lines,” where he was on top of the R&B world, before it all went to hell.
“Back Together,” Robin’s follow-up, wants desperately to be that comeback single. With notes of dance acts like Justice and Jamie Lidell, Robin eases into what should be the tried-and-true crossover formula of a funky post-disco, Off the Wall-era Michael Jackson track. But at first, listen to the lyrics. It sounds like he’s still hung up on his very public ex, Paula Patton, which no one on Earth wants to hear about.
Luckily, Nicki Minaj, who has collaborated with Robin before, saves the day by dropping a verse that makes the song more general rather than about his very public and embarrassing “begging for my wife back” tour.
What tracks like “Back Together” and “Morning Sun” both show is that Robin is still talented and has a lot left to offer. But, clearly, he needs someone in his corner to steer him with regard to what his audience would actually want to hear. Hopefully he’s got that guidance.
(Via YouTube)
