Uncle Charlie

Album Review

Keeping a good thing going, Uncle Charlie follows the formula of the former Gap Band vocalist's previous release, Charlie, Last Name Wilson, which climbed to number ten on Billboard's album chart. First, there's the return of Wilson's biggest advocate, Snoop Dogg, on the uptempo two-stepper "Let It Out." Then there's the return of T-Pain as producer and, this time, vocalist on the feel-good "Supa Sexxy," the heavily Gap-influenced highlight that closes the album. "Shawty Come Back" sounds just like the previous effort's "So Hot" right up until the chorus, which cleverly updates Player's big hit "Baby Come Back" for the Lil Wayne generation. Lighthearted moments like this rule the album as Charlie falls instantly in love with every girl who passes by on "There Goes My Baby" or professes he "Can't Live Without You" by putting his woman above "a night at the club/or a hit off a blunt." The big difference here is that Charlie has taken the duties away from his last executive producer, R. Kelly, but with the Underdogs, T-Pain, and frequent Babyface collaborator Greg Pagani behind the boards, he's got all the help he needs.