Afraid
Real solid opener, with a hi-hatty beat (think the intro hits to Strafe's "Set It Off" stretched for three and a half minutes), an unexpectedly catchy hook, Bubba-esque guest verse (is that Tim?) and a CHILDREN'S CHORUS on the outro. You can't lose with kids.
Maneater
Right to the sternum! This one is a banger, with a lot of neat sonic extras and breakdowns that weren't on the leaked version from a month or two back. No sign of Weezy F Baby however.
Promiscuous
The best update of "Shoop" we never even knew we wanted in the first place. Still a little weird that Timbo is calling himself "Thomas Crown" though. (The Pierce Brosnan remake is seven years old, duder!) But there is a welcome Steve Nash shout out.
Glow
Boom clap boom, synths, etc.
Showtime
Our secret favorite of the record. A bittersweet, Britpoppy ballad in 3/4 time that wouldn't be out of place ending 120 Minutes in the mid 90s.
No Hay Igual
Does this song even have a proper chorus? It's just one long intro. Which happens to really, really knock.
Te Busque featuring Juanes (English and Spanish versions)
Subtract Timbo, add Juanes, and get a fairly unremarkable track (or two, actually.) Nelly spits a Def Poetry Jam interlude though.
Say It Right
OK we need to step our pop reference game up a little for this one. Going to go with "Like A Prayer"-era Madonna, but there's probably a random Cindi Lauper joint that would have been more appropriate.
Do It
That roller rink ! Irrisistably hooky, with little Latin freestyle vocal cuts ("Yeah-yea-ye-yeah..") interspersed throughout.
In God's Hands
Another snoozy, Timbo-less ballad. Skip.
Wait For You
Hot damn, double-time R&B. With tabla!
All Good Things featuring Chris Martin
Don't hold Chris Martin against it - he gets his Coldplay on and is still decent on this track, which is in the vein of No Doubt's quieter moments. And if nothing else, it helps prove that the powers that be shouldn't have hedged their bets with outside pop production on the other slow jams.
source: thefader.com
