Alter Ego

Album Review

Whether you've been a fan of Tyrese the VJ, Tyrese the model, Tyrese the actor, Tyrese the singer, or any combination thereof, one glance at the two-disc Alter Ego is likely to provoke a question or two. On the front of the package, a stone-faced Tyrese is "Tyrese (aka Black-Ty)," and this is meant to indicate that disc one offers more of Tyrese's sensitive (if swaggering) R&B. On the back of the package, a stone-faced Tyrese puts on a pair of sunglasses and transforms into (dun-dun-dun) "Black-Ty (aka Tyrese)," indicating that disc two is very different from disc one. With rare exception, disc one is indistinct seduction material, and little of it compares to either of Tyrese's first two albums. On disc two, Black-Ty is an indistinguishable amalgam of at least a dozen big-name rappers (some of whom even guest here). At the least, the first disc sounds relatively natural and sincere; the second sounds more like a put-on.