Artists in this Article
TYRESE
"Open Invitation"
Producers: various
Voltron Recordz/EMI
Release Date: Nov. 1
"Open Invitation" ends a five-year gap between studio albums for Tyrese, who's spent much of the time since 2006's double-disc "Alter Ego" pursuing his interests in film (such as Michael Bay's "Transformers" movies) and self-help literature ("How to Get Out of Your Own Way"). But if the singer/actor/author's musical cachet has diminished as a result of his hiatus, you can't tell from this self-released effort, which features cameos from such A-list guests as R. Kelly, Ludacris and Rick Ross. Up-and-coming rapper Jay Rock also contributes a verse to opener "I'm Home," right before Tyrese thanks his fans for keeping his music alive. "You never gave your heart away to nobody else," he says, "and I just appreciate you." Those fans won't be disappointed by new tunes like "Stay," a handsome, retro-accented slow jam, and the bedroom-ready "One Night," in which Tyrese makes admiring lyrical reference to Kelly's 1993 classic "12 Play." "I swear I make it look too easy," he brags elsewhere, and indeed, there's some truth to that.
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