Ex-IMx member and R&B singer Marques Houston is back in the game with his fourth solo studio album, Mr. Houston. Its first single, “Body,” is slowly creeping up the Billboard charts. The new album’s 12 tracks all have an obvious connection to Houston’s feelings about love and sex, which he has been known for from his past three albums.
The first track, “I Love Her,” featuring Harlem rapper Jim Jones, who’s known for his 2006 hit “We Fly High,” is a radio-friendly, chart-topping piece that is full of upbeat rhymes and catchy auto-tune sounds that give listeners a great introduction. I wouldn’t be surprised if “I Love Her” becomes Houston’s second single, but it has yet to be confirmed what it will be.
Houston’s current and first single off the new album is a melodic sensual ballad that somewhat reminisces to Ciara’s 2006 hit “Promise.” Like with most of his radio releases, the sexual overtones in “Body” are quite obvious, with lyrics such as: “When I’m done with you I feel like going one more round / Girl, you know I like it when you make that oh-ah sound.”
“Express Lane” captures Houston’s appreciation of T-Pain’s and The Dream’s style. Its vocally synthesized accent seemingly gives listeners a clear comparison of his strong affection for a woman being like a car speeding on the freeway. Emotions grow strong, fast and lustful like the high-pumping adrenaline of a race car’s velocity.
“Stranger” is yet another compelling track that has strong potential to be a hit single. Houston chose not to take the auto-tune route this time around, which goes in his favor. Although the song is musically crafted well, the message is sort of confusing. Houston says that he wants to know the woman he’s singing to better, but yet he doesn’t want to be disrespectful to her man. Okay, so what’s the point? Basically, the song has a catch-22, but it’s still by far the best track on the album.
“Letter” and “Date” are two ballads that have a strong connection with each other but relate to opposite ends. While “Letter” is taken at the post-breakup phase and explains Houston’s mixed emotions about his ex, hating her and wanting her back at the same time, “Date” shows Houston in a more rejuvenated light. Houston describes his interest in a woman in the beginning phase of a possible relationship, hence the title “Date.”
Houston soulfully delivers with Mr. Houston through his vocal ability and lyrical craft. The album’s strong sensual lyrics and soulful R&B tunes make you just want to crawl up with the one you love and show them how much you feel about them physically. However, the tracks don’t seem to stand out from one another; they sort of all mesh together. Although the tracks are supposed to blend in with each other to have a great musical flow, too much of something is not always a good thing, and Houston proves that with this album. Mr. Houston gets a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
