Chingy Album: “Pulling Me Back [Australia CD]”

Chingy's another one I've always had a soft spot for. With his pretty face and cheeky smile, what's not to like? His songs are all harmless fun and I've often wondered why he hasn't found more success than he seemingly has done. (This single is only available in the US on import and that's never a good sign). I liked "Right Thurr", "Holidae Inn" and "One Call Away" and bought them all. This one's no different. It uses a sample (of course); this time it's SWV's "Rain" and with Tyrese intoning the hook, it's not bad.

I could never take a whole album of him though and maybe that's part of the problem. His repertoire seems a bit limited and a whole album of songs about nothing more than girls and partying would drive me up the wall. Good fun is all well and good but I think hip-hop needs to offer something outside of that. He never seems introspective or thought-provoking. I know he's only young but that's no excuse. Look at Lupe Fiasco. It's not about being hard. Not anymore anyway. It's about being about something of substance.

But maybe I've got it all wrong and he's selling by the bucketload with millions of adoring fans all over the world. I hope it's so. This review is supposed to be about this particular song and I think this particular song is nice and I like it. It's harmless fun. What's not to like?

I just hope that one day, I hear something from Chingy that makes me stop and listen. And think.