Trey Day

Trey Songz

If you're not feeling the first single off Trey Songz' Trey Day, don't give up. "Wonder Woman" is an acquired taste of a track whose techno beats won't sit right with those expecting straight-up R&B. The good news is that, despite some show-offy rap walk-ons and a little over-the-top R. Kelly-style lewdness (see "Grub On," in which our guy seduces his short-order shawty with the line, "Here's a tip/You can be my IHOP--you hop on top of me, I'll hop on top of you"), Trey Day trots out some gorgeous love songs and lines up top-tier Kelly-, Usher-, and Ne-Yo-reminiscent vocals with the kind of production you'd expect from a far more experienced artist. While the poppy standout "Missing You" pours sweet sentiments into a vocorder, though, the album's more traditional ballads will win over the soft-hearted with plain old well-executed prettiness. "We Should Be," for example, a Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis composition, throws off sparks no 22-year-old singer should be able to set free. But Songz, proving he's an artist well worth punching your credit card numbers in for, lets them rip handily. --Tammy La Gorce

Trey Day Album: