25 Magazine’s Kiah McBride reviews Robin Thicke’s fourth studio album Sex Therapy: The Experience.
Words by Kiah McBride
Robin Thicke has strayed from the classic soul style of his previous albums towards a more contemporary R&B sound mixed with Electronic and Pop. On December 15 he released his fourth studio album Sex Therapy: The Experience, and as implied by the title, the album oozes sexual allusions and stimulating beats. As if that isn’t enough to keep the audience begging for more, he also took the idea of role-playing to another level and took on the persona of a sex therapist through various tracks. He solidifies the album with a wide variety of guest artists including Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and Estelle. In Spring 2009, Thicke co-headlined a six-week national tour with Jennifer Hudson and he performed at the 2009 Soul Train Awards. With the release of his new album, we don’t expect him to lose his stroke as he returns to educate us on the art of “sex therapy.”
Sex Therapy: The Experience takes on an erotic tone from the beginning, with the opening track “911” establishing a sexy patient-therapist relationship that thrives throughout the album. On “I Got U,” a woman says in a lustful tone “doctor I have a pain all over my body, can you help me?” in which Thick responds “we have some chocolate-covered strawberries, if you like.” Robin Thicke gives us a taste of his sexual clock in tracks such as “It’s In the Mornin’” featuring Snoop Dogg where he says “You know I like it first thing/ Cuz you let it marinate, let it marinate.”
Based on the beginning tracks it can be assumed that Sex Therapy: The Experience is solely built around—well—sex. However as the album progresses, Thicke gives us more than just that. On “Rollacoasta,” he combines a fun beat with the quick, pulsating sound of a tuba. On this fast-paced track he shows that he would do anything to save his relationship as he says “slap me in the face/punch me in the eye/ do me how you want baby/but just don’t say goodbye.” On the track “Elevatas” featuring Kid Cudi, he alludes to fame being a dark hole that many get sucked into, singing “I’m fallin, fallin/ I’m moving so fast I might never go back.” Robin’s change in song content does well to keep the tracks from becoming redundant.
Musical variety and the narrative journey will keep the album in heavy rotation. You will easily find yourself craving for more of his sensual vocals as he takes you to a world where the stress of fame and maintaining relationships collide. His collaborations with fellow artists add to the credibility and flavor of the tracks. Fans may be surprised that some of the tracks do start to stray away from the risqué theme and become more about crooning for love. This however, doesn’t detract from the overall appeal of the album. Thicke’s gentlemen-like persona is all we knew before, but after entering his bedroom we now see that he has no place for softness.
