Review: Frankie J.'s "Priceless"

On his latest release, smooth Latin lover Frankie J. mixes in some uptempo, Hip Hop-influenced songs along with his usual assortment of ballad-driven R&B. And although not all the results are spectacular, there's enough really good moments here make Priceless worthwhile. In fact, in many cases the uptempo material (including "Hurry Up" and the Mannie Fresh-produced "I Ain't Trippin' ") is better than the ballads, some of which are pretty corny.

During his career as a solo artist, ex-Kumbia Kings member Frankie J.'s been known more for his ballads, but this album sees him spread his wings and experiment a little with uptempo music. The first single, the Mannie Fresh-produced "That Girl," which features the rapper Chamillionaire and "Never Let You Down," which features Layzie & Krayzie Bone (of Bone Thugs N Harmony) are great R&B/Hip-Hop hybrids. Elements of both genres are well-blended together without one overpowering the other.

Although Frankie's singing is on-point (albeit a little thin), it's the lyrics that actually steal the show on many tracks. A good example is "Daddy's Little Girl," a sad, tender song about a little girl who's afraid of losing her father forever after he tries to break up with the girl's mother.

Not only are the song's lyrics alone enough to tug on your heartstrings, but there's also a nice sonic backdrop of the sounds of children playing, which adds even more poignancy to the song.

Ironically, the uptempo material is more solid than many of the ballads. The title track is a soft ballad about love lost, but it and a few other ballads, including "If He Can't Be" and "Still" lack genuine emotion and originality.

Although there's a certain inconsistency, the songwriting on some songs is brilliant. One example of this is "Hurry Up," a riveting, uptempo song about a man who randomly hooks up with a woman at her place, only to find out that her psycho-killer boyfriend just got out of jail and is on his way home. He sings:

"She said he stood about seven-foot-nine/Killed some cat for looking at her, and got 25 to life/And somehow he's out today, and this fool, he's on his way/He'll snap your neck and not think twice/Get your things and good night."

Although Frankie probably isn't the perfect singer for "Hurry Up" due to his soft, thin voice, he manages to do a brilliant job with the material and makes the song not just interesting, but also the most compelling track on the album.

Of the few guest appearances on Priceless, the one that makes the most sense is Slim (of the vocal group 112) who duets with Frankie on the Hip-Hop-ish "Top of the Line." The pairing of the two is a complete natural and their similar vocal styles compliment each other very well.

Overall, to put it simply: thanks to the hipper, more diverse range of material and solid song production, Priceless may very well become the most successful album of Frankie's career.