As sick as I've become of pop R&B, I can't deny talent when it presents itself. Ginuwine's latest effort, The Senior, is a classic piece of hip-hop meets R&B. The departure of Timbaland from the producer's seat works to Ginuwine's advantage as his new ensemble of producers (R.Kelly, Scott Storch, Troy Taylor, Troy Oliver, et al) piece together a collection of beats pushing Ginuwine's R&B style to a new level.

The first single, 'Hell Yeah' features the club-captivating production of R. Kelly and ought to be lighting up the charts this spring. 'Love You More' is the staple love ballad able to win over even the butchiest girl. 'Sex' is a latin-laced upbeat banger featuring the sexy rap vocals of his baby's mother, Solι. 'Big Plans' starts off smooth, falters in the middle, but in the end is saved by the guest appearance of Method Man. 'In Those Jeans' is cheesy enough to make me hurl, but somehow Ginuwine pulls it off nice & smooth. Also, the hot 'Hell Yeah remix' is included and features the likes of The Clipse, Baby and R. Kelly.

Ginuwine also falters in a few spots. He uses a dimmed down version of Eiffel 65's annoying robotic voice effect in a couple spots, which is more painful than enjoyable. Snoop Dogg's featured appearance on 'Get Ready' is a waste of talent, as Snoop says nothing more than a few words here and there. Finally, the skits are lame, focusing on how popular Ginuwine is with the ladies - as if we didn't already know.

Ginuwine presents another smooth R&B album laced with a select few big name rap artists to give it a nice flavour. The Senior falters in spots, but Ginuwine's silken voice recoups those losses. If you're looking for a nice R&B album with club appeal and the ability to get your lady in the mood, then The Senior is worth your time.

Click here to buy the album at amazon.com