Trey Songz Album "Back Home” Review
It’s Music Monday! Anyone that knows me knows I am a Trey Songz’ fan. Before I get into this review, I know reviews are meant to be unbiased, but please note I am definitely biased. Trey Songz is not about to take you to church with a big voice. He understands his lane and stays in his pocket and I appreciate that. I am always looking for the good in his music and will always wish the best for him in life and in his career.
On October 9th, Trey released his 8th album titled “Back Home,” his first album since 2017. An offering of 22 songs, 19 of which are full songs, while the other 3 are interludes. Overall, I enjoyed the album. It is all R&B. He was giving me late 90s early 2000s vibes, because the entire album is filled with love songs that cohesively flow from one song to the next. I am sure that has to do with Troy Taylor executive producing the entire album. I also believe that is why the album is called Back Home, because he is back in his zone, in his R&B bag. I have literally been listening to the album solid for the past 9 days and I love it all. I give it 4 body rolls out of 5!
The album opens up with “Be My Guest” reminiscent of the way Trey sings “Dive In” on Chapter V. The song itself is typical Trey. He goes up into his falsetto and I’m here for it. Out the gate this song is body roll approved and truly sets the tone for the feel of the entire album. Before I go any further on individual songs let me pause and say one more time I appreciate the transitions and continuity of this album. As I said before there is a noticeable flow from one song to the next and it’s just beautiful.
There are two songs that stand out for me. “All this love, “ and “Rain ft. Swae Lee.” All this love I think will be a fave of the 25+ fans. It gives me “On top of me,” vibes from earlier in the album which I actually happen to like better and will talk about later. However, All this love seems to stand out for other listeners. It just feels familiar. One of the writers is Johnta Austin who is known for his R&B hits, this one has potential to be another solid single. Rain should be a single, not because it’s my fave, but because I think this would attract the young kids. Swae Lee gives it a young edge even though Trey stays completely in his R&B bag. I can see this being a hit on radio. Yes people STILL listen to the radio.
I have no problem letting this album play all the way through. The only one I find myself wanting to skip is Back Home which is because I have worn that song out since it’s been out so long. My favorite song on the album is “On top of me,” It fits in with the rest of the songs with the laid back R&B vibe. I love the bridge and the dnndnndn beat in the background. Ok that was a terrible description, but listen to it and you will catch it. These lyrics are mix tape Trey approved and it’s a slow grind for the adults. I won’t repeat them but click the link. He is definitely trying to inspire some baby making. When I heard “I know a love,” I immediately thought oh my gosh Trey is finally in love. The song is so beautiful and you can feel the passion in the words. When I saw the video I realized that he was talking about his sweet son Noah. It’s a perfect way to close out the album. The lyrics also easily translate to a sweet song for your spouse or significant other.
He states: “I never thought I'd find a love like this
I thought I had it all, but I didn't
It makes me wonder where you've been all my life” Such a sweet ode to his baby boy.
For those that like Trey to give us club bangers. There are 3 songs with an upbeat tempo. None of them are close to Bottoms up or Say Aah, and I’m okay with that as they are more ingrained with the R&B feel of the album. “On Call ft. Ty Dolla $ign” which I keep calling one night, I can see being played in the club. It’s just a sexy up tempo song where he let’s it be known she is on call for one night only, so it’s important she makes the best of it. Ty Dolla of course does his thing and lets the girl know he needs all or nothing. They mesh well together, I’m here for it. “Hit Different,” is slow but something about the bass line and the snaps on the beat make me feel like it would be good in the club. It is definitely going to inspire some body rolls. Not to mention he hits us with his signature “take em off, take em off,” from panty dropper. One thing to note is yes it has the same title as Sza’s song, but it sounds completely different and the lyrics are not even close to being the same. So, you can listen to both and get different vibes. “Nobody’s Watchin,” is the song that feels the most upbeat to me, and I don’t know if this will be a favorite but I love it. This song is about doing a “dance” in the bedroom. The lyrics boast about it being a party of one plus one and goes on to describe how the dance between them will go. I mean can we say spicy?! It definitely allows you to dance like nobody’s watchin just like the lyrics suggest.
The rest of the album slows back down, but still keeps your attention. The lyrics throughout the album are something you can send to bae for fun. “GLA,” Mike Angel (the main writer) you did THAT! For those of us Trey Songz’ fans we know that Mikey and Trey have great chemistry and this song is no different. The ghetto love affair is dope and fits Trey’s voice perfectly. I call it a sleeper. A song on the album that is a gem that most people will miss because it wasn’t a single. “Save it,” is another good one, even though it’s shorter than I wanted. I could have used at least one more minute of this song. I love that he shows us some range. Favorite line: “Girl you a star, you’re the face of the team, team!” I love the way he sounds singing those lyrics. A whole vibe. “Hands on,” is less than 2 minutes and I thought was going to be the only song I didn’t like on the album. It starts off a little slow with the beat, however it picks up and then it’s over. I’d say that one needs one more verse because it has great potential. I was sold when he says: “Hands on, you know I'm a hands on learner, can I learn you?” I mean, YES! The song ends with this dope crescendo and goes right into the next song “Lost and Found” seamlessly. Yes Production! This song is so good. Opens up with: “If your body was a fountain, oh woah Bet I drink that water down (Right).” Oh okay, I’m here for it all! The song was well written and the metaphors are it. Another song with metaphors is “Cat got ya tongue.” He is wild for this one. Listen closely as there is some serious word play.
Before I close out I want to talk about the songs that were released as singles. Back Home ft. Summer Walker. It has been out since April, (video released on my birthday!) so I have literally worn that poor song out. I think I would have rather had this song released closer to the album release because it is the title track. However, I love that the video is his family and shows his life from VA to CA and gives that real back home feel. “2020 Riots: How Many Times,” was Trey using his voice, his platform to speak out on the Black Lives Matter movement. Not only was he out protesting in the streets, but he also used his Instagram to call out racists. I appreciate him doing what he could to ensure everyone understood how he felt about the racial injustice and where his loyalties lied. That black lives truly do matter ALL THE TIME. “Circles,” I love this song and the video. I first heard it on his live and fell in love immediately. I mean we have all been in relationships and felt like we have been going in circles. The video is a representation of black love at a range of ages, beautiful cinematography. “Two Ways,” is his latest single. I feel like their might be a sample somewhere, but I couldn’t figure it out. This song though is deep, he realizes he is the only one fighting for their love. He is unsure because of her actions and seems to be chasing her…even though he’s tired. Once he is healthy, I think that song needs a video. The lyrics leave room to create a great video.
I definitely enjoyed this complete body of work. All of the songs mentioned above are linked to the songs on Youtube for you to listen. You can play the entire album on Youtube here. It is also available to stream and download here.
In the comments below tell me if you have listened to the album? What are your thoughts? Do you have a favorite song?
All the lyrics were confirmed on genius.com.
