The evolution of a guilty pleasure

I hate to admit it but I do get the occasional craving for teen-pop. When I first heard the likes of The Spice Girls, Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys, it momentarily stunned me that a whole slew of artists could exist who knew no pain greater than a tight pair of jeans or getting bled by a girl. This freed me from a lot of worries of the world and needless to say anything that can do that promptly finds a place in my life.

And so it was: I am still the only person I know who went to see the Spice Girls movie in a theater. On the first day. And I have given an ardent ear to every single thing the girls have done since going solo.


So it was a pleasure to stumble on The Evolution of Robin Thicke which I gave a listen to because the first voice you hear on it is that of Faith Evans and it has been a while since I've heard that gorgeous voice. Thicke does a lot of what Justin Timberlake does these days, without that edge of sexual hunger that runs through Timberlake's work. But in return there is a rather amiable warmth that pervades his R&B, Chillout and Bump N' Grind jams.

Along with K T Tunstall, Don, Nine Black Alps, I See You, Woh Lamhe and Amy Winehouse (my review of her fantastic second album here), Robin Thicke's album helped carry me through this winter.

Also 8 things you don't know about Thicke.