T-Pain

T-Pain imagines himself the music industry's ringleader, an autotuned offspring of Don Corleone, Dionysus and Teddy Pendergrass. But, on his third solo album, he also reveals himself as a bit of a sap. The tinkling daydream of "Can't Believe It" finds him pandering to the wildest wishes of his female base, while Pain goes emo for "Therapy," which includes a guest verse from Kanye. On "Ringleader Man," he even sheds his autotune affectation and treats us to his natural voice, which is full and pleasant if not awe-inspiring. The production is lighter, and the album is filled with mid-tempo jams that are appealing, if not as purely visceral as some of his earlier work.