• R&B

GINUWINE

A Man's Thoughts

Notify/Asylum/Warner Bros.

***

Ginuwine, the incredibly well-toned singer known for mixing rhythm and raunch, seeks to show he's not all about the physical here: He can still wind it and grind it, but he has evolved into a man who isn't afraid to share his emotions.

The R&B singer's sixth album flows seamlessly between bumpin' dance grooves and seductive mid-tempo ballads, with some hip-hop flavor added. The 15 selections explore the complexities of love and commitment, avoiding overdone phrasing, vocal histrionics and bottles-and-babes posturing.

The singer, who broke out with the hit Pony from his multiplatinum 1996 debut The Bachelor, is less buck-wild these days, but still keeping it funky. A bass undercurrent propels much of the music, even the love songs, yet the production is disciplined and cohesive.

The yearning on Last Chance, in which he declares he's ''a different kind of man,'' comes across as convincing: ``If I've only got one shot to win you, then call me Jordan fourth quarter in '92.''

Synth piano licks gently trail Ginuwine's vocals in One Time for Love, a romantic appeal to move a casual relationship beyond the bed. The piano lends understated support to the anthem Open the Door, in which he begs a woman to share her emotions, and the hypnotic Orchestra.

For the dance floor, there is the bombastic Show Off, in which he encourages women to embrace their body shapes.

R&B singer Brandy is featured on a beautiful duet, Bridge to Love. He also gets big-name help on the rapid-fire Get Involved, featuring producer Timbaland and hip-hop legend Missy Elliott, who collaborated with him on his debut, and on Trouble, where Texas-based rapper Bun B, formerly of UGK, joins him.

After Ginuwine's four-year hiatus, fans surely will find A Man's Thoughts worth the wait.

-- WILLIAM T. McGEE

wmcgee@MiamiHerald.com

ACE HOOD

Ruthless

Def Jam

**

On his sophomore release, Broward County rapper Ace Hood faces the task of striking it big in a hip-hop scene already flooded with Floridians. Coming less than eight months after his debut album, Ruthless does little to distinguish Hood from Rick Ross, Flo Rida, DJ Khaled and T-Pain.

With a raspy voice reminiscent of Pastor Troy, Hood manages to squeeze in a smattering of witty wordplay amid typical braggadocio rhymes about girls, guns and wealth.

With a chorus from Akon and guest verse by T-Pain, the first single, Overtime, preaches the benefits of working hard (lots of money) over a generic club beat courtesy of The Runners, the Orlando-based production duo that usually makes much bigger backdrops.

Champion is a surprisingly soulful song, with Hood and Ross trading verses about finding success and Jazmine Sullivan repurposing lyrics from Kanye West's Can't Tell Me Nothing for the hook.

Otherwise, Ruthless is a disconnected hodge-podge of what's popular (but not necessarily good) in hip-hop at the moment. And with an overabundance of guest spots (Ludacris, The-Dream, Lloyd, Birdman and Miami rapper Ballgreezy also appear), it's hard to make a connection with Hood.

-- ADRIAN RUHI

aruhi@MiamiHerald.com

WILCO

Wilco (The Album)

Nonesuch

***

For Wilco, there are times when the music is the star, times when it's the lyrics, and, on the rare occasion of the classic Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, times when it's both.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@