Jeremih

Jeremih is much more than that "Birthday Sex" guy. He considers himself a "star" and a "pimp," even confiding on "Imma Star" that "Getting money is the only thing on my resume." Whether he adds superstar or one-hit-wonder to that resume is an open question, but his self-titled debut is competent. The production is surprisingly spare, favoring quick blurts of melody over skeletal drums. It works to foreground Jerimih's vocal work, but the sweeter and suppler tracks ("Starting Over") work the best.

Even by the standards of modern R&B Casanovas — a group not known for beating around the
bush — Chicago newcomer Jeremih is a straightforward fella. Metaphor is not his thing: For
decades singers have gloried in automotive double-entendres, but when Jeremih brags
about his navigation system in "My Ride," he means it literally ("Girls wanna be wifey/'Cause
they fell in love with my ride"). There are some lazily formulaic moments here —... More >