Everyone's New Favorite White Boy

Now I'm not one to jump on the "what's hot now" bandwagon, so let me officially say I have listened to this album every week since fall semester. I've been on this guy for a while, waiting for the world to catch up.

When he sings, there is such soul, even in a faint falsetto. The voice will throw you for a moment, but you know he's white....and you don't mind.
When we see him ladies, in his signature black and white (is it symbolic perhaps, of he and his black wife, Paula Patton? Or his absence of personality?)
Whatever, you see his handsome self. Handsome is a term only applicable to grown men, you see. You know he's white..and you don't mind.

But when we see him dance....well, then you really know he's white and you DO mind. It's just terrible. Please check him Sat. Jun 23 for MTV Live, where he lifts his legs high in his best B-Boy dance, sways like a limp Elvis and rocks at the piano like Ray Charles. But never mind that horrendousness - cop a brotha's album, please! Oh, wait...I'm talking about Robin Thicke.

I hate the comparison to last decade's white boy with a hood pass, Justin Timberlake, but I'll go there just for a second to highlight the idiosyncrasy here. ( I looked it up but I still don't know if I used that right.) We know Justin can beatbox and breakdance, and we give him credit for that. He's from Memphis Tennessee, so he should have some flavor. But this Robin Thicke, this kid from The Hills, to whom should we credit this soul? He doesn't need help from TI and beats by Timbaland for validation. He is hot all by himself, with his pen and his piano.

And the good news here is he's an artist men don't have to be ashamed to like. Part of it is because Robin is not packaged sexy. He is, to use another hackneyed yet appropriate cliche, grown and sexy. He does not come out shirtless, greased-up in baby oil and slide all over the floor like an Usher or a Ginuwine (no disrespect). He doesn't use explicit R. Kelly-type lyrics that basically tell you to get naked and lay down. That music while about sex, is not sexy; it lacks the cleverness implicit in seduction.

I must note here that Robin did try the superproducer-lead single to try to jump "The Evolution of Robin Thicke" album off last summer. "Wanna Love U Girl" with Pharell was supposed to be the banger that would move records off the shelves, but it fell flat, proving that Pharell's Midas Touch might be tarnished and rusty. What blew Robin up was "Lost Without U." That song right there, boy....It feels good just to hear it. I would call it vocal masturbation, but the pleasure isn't self-induced. In a world of snap music, braggadocios rappers and singers who don't write songs, Robin gave us something real.
Who doesn't appreciate an honest man?

Some of you might have it all together, and perhaps you can't relate to a song with themes like forgiveness, redemption, self-doubt and asking for acceptance. But Robin admits there was a time when people weren't giving him a chance, when he didn't feel good enough and when he had to believe in himself despite rejection. For those of us in the real world, how can you not respect that? There are plenty of other great songs on the album, too. You can chill, (freak), think and dance all from the same CD.

Now if we can just find the man some personality....

P.S. The BET Awards are June 27 and Robin is up for Best Male Artist and Viewer's Choice. Go to BET.com and vote for him, if you will. And you can catch him on tour with Beyonce (another star with no personality. Have you seen a Beyonce interview? it's like trying to talk to a deer in headlights) And no, his label is not paying me for this. I just believe in people with talent.

-DevaDonna