September 20, 2006 @ 2:43 pm

Chingy - Hoodstar (Capitol)

by: Julianne Shepherd

Occasionally, his drawled vernacular and sleepily melodic flow can compensate for his lack of thematic range (the holy trinity of kicks, chicks, chains), but generally, Chingy is blank, as flat as tap water. right Perhaps sensing this, Chingy surrounds himself with guests on his third record—this either to roughen up the pretty boy’s edges or polish his shortcomings. In the right company he justifies his swagger (the raucous “Club Getting Crowded,” with Three 6 Mafia, and the invigorating sneaker stomper “Brand New Kicks,” with Mannie Fresh). Alone, though, he errs wildly (“Bounce That,” centered around a grim sex/football metaphor). Worst is “Ass in da Aurr,” which may be grammatically inventive, but sports pickup strategies both clunky and dull: “Ooh, girl / I like yo’ body / I’m tryna leave with somebody / You could be that somebody.” Dream the impossible dream. Sure, such folly has treated Chingy well. But it’s when the man chooses to emote a little that he shows promise. On “Pullin’ Me Back,” crooning fleshpot Tyrese helps Chingy embellish a sensitive love story. And on “Cadillac Door,” Chingy lashes out—“Who are you to judge me / For my sins and what I did wrong?”—without sounding preachy (though it’s tough to plead complete innocence with a song that’s such a gratuitous structural bite of OutKast’s 1993 “Players’ Ball.”) One track later, though, there Chingy is with Jermaine Dupri, contemplating the astonishing physics of girls in “Dem Jeans.” The view, of course, is great. The song is breezy and salacious and, importantly, presents no need for self-examination. The mirror, of course, being the hardest place to look. Do you want VIBE delivered to your home or office? CLICK HERE.

Article tags: Chingy, Jermaine Dupri, Outkast, Tyrese