Tyrese- "Open Invitation" album review

Before he was a well-established movie star, Tyrese became famous for his singing talent. With such hits as "Sweet Lady" and "Lately" he quickly preserved his place as a leader of the R&B game. For a long time he left the music industry to continue his acting career, making only a few appearances in the form of some lesser known albums and very few features. After a five year hiatus from his last album and many huge movie roles later, Tyrese decided to make a major comeback with his fifth studio album, "Open Invitation."

            The album starts out with a strong ballad called "I'm Home" featuring up and coming rapper Jay Rock of California. The song mentions his return to what truly made him a star. His reason for returning to music is the lack of great Rhythm and Blues singers. The R&B music scene has been slowly dying down due to the major use of auto-tune and up-tempo music. Although Tyrese does use some forms of vocalizer on his album he brings back an album that sounds like it came from the 90s era with a futuristic twist.

            If you doubted Tyrese's vocals or thought his leave from music could have affected his singing talent, it did not. The first song he released on his album, "I Gotta Chick," originally featured R. Kelly and Tyga. Although not an official single, the song spread all over the internet quickly. Eventually it was revealed thatTyga's version did not make the album. He was replaced with Rick Ross, whose ability to easily rap over soul-filled ballads made him a greater option. The first single "Stay" is reminiscent of "How You Gonna Act Like That," a major single on his second studio album.

            The second single, "Too Easy," featuring his co-star in the movie Fast Five,Ludacris, is a heavily auto-tuned song showing off his ability to easily transition from movie star to singing icon. Songs like "Make Love" and "Nothing On You" express the fervent and sexual side of the album bringing what Tyrese said he wants to hear more in music nowadays.

            "Open Invitation" is not a long album like most you'll hear these days. Being under an hour long,Tyrese's new album is short but sweet. With one listen his fans will surely welcome him back with high expectations, making his return a very successful one.