Gerald LeVert's fourth studio album, G, starts off with a bang. "Application" is an infectiously catchy track with a great chorus/bridge. It's probably the best opening Gerald's had on an album, and is very mainstream. Ovearll, it's a fun track and a great listen.
Unfortunately, the album compensates for its great start with a weak series of tracks. "Callin Me" sounds a little too self-gratifying and is obsessed with reiterating the fact that it's Gerald LeVert. The song doesn't really grab your attention and while it's an okay listen, it's nothing exciting.
"Nothin to Somethin" is an interesting track, with a clever message to it. It talks at first a lot about going from being poor to being wealthy. However, the trick to the song is that it likens a relationship to this development, as you build up from hardly knowing each other to being in love. The song is a neat idea but its delivery is weak and it really fails to capitalize on its idea.
The fourth song is a similar let down. "Strings, Strings" has a nice sound and shows a lot of emotion. Despite this, I don't really like the way it seems to have been mixed. The lyrics sound bunched up at times and the delivery gets messy. As suc, so much potential seems to be wasted as Gerald tries to get his girl back.
Following, the album starts to pick up with "It Hurts Too Much To Stay." Teaming up with Kelly Price, the two go back and forth about their problems. It's a nice effort and the two work well together. The end of the song is sort of bizarre, when Kelly says "I'm going to jail cause I kill yo girl." Despite that, it's still a pretty good track.
"Mr. Too Damn Good," is a nice slow jam that seems in the vein of Gerald's older stuff. Hearing the track, it's sad to see the way the rest of hte album sounds. The track isn't wild or rich in its delivery, opting for a soft smooth sound but it is done well.
Fortunately, the album keeps up the push with the best track of the album, "She Done Been." The track is dark and similar in message to Babyface's "How Come, How Long." In the track, Gerald asks why such a sweet, loving girl can't find a man who will treat her the way she deserves. It has a great brooding feel to it.
"Heart Don't" is the eight track on the album and is a nice up-tempo song. Singing about getting in a relationship but fearing that the girl will just be another user who's not in it for the long run, the song sounds good. It's not one of Gerald's better tracks but it is still a pleasant listen.
The final track before the album starts to sag again is "Don't Take It Away." The song is soft as Gerald sings about his uncertainty in what to do after his girl leaves him. While carrying the traditional pleading for her to stay, the song is solid and has a nice chorus.
The tenth track on the album, "Second Time Around" has a smooth sound with some nice brooding lyrics and vocals. Despite this, the track doesn't ever really succeed at grabbing you and serves only as enjoyable background music.
"Misery Loves Company" packs the dark tone again as Gerald croons about a guy who is angry at his friend. His friend, out of luck, comes to live with him and tries to seduce his girlfriend. The song has some weak spots and is never really a true classic but it's enjoyable and gets the job done.
Nearing the end, Gerald throws you for a loop with "Baby U Are" where he sings in falsetto. At first, you'll wonder if it's even Gerald singing, and the jarring feeling is hard to shake throughout. I'm pretty sure I like the standard Gerald better but even still, the track is decent.
Concluding things, the album doesn't come out hard and instead, closes with "These." The song is decent but doesn't really shine or distinguish itself in anyway. It's just an okay song.
