Fly On the Wall

Now on his fourth album, Bobby V is evidently walking a path similar to that of Avant, Joe, and Ginuwine — R&B artists who aren’t Usher-level crossover superstars but release decent, commercially successful albums every couple years. As is the case with his slightly older contemporaries, Bobby V doesn't change up his sound so much as he refines it. On Fly on the Wall, he works extensively once more with Tim & Bob, as well as past associates Carlos "LOS da Mystro" McKinney and Bryan-Michael Cox, along with the Pentagon (an Underdogs offshoot), Jazze Pha, and a handful of other collaborators. As usual, there is a high percentage of ballads made for the sake of seduction, including a passable cover of Bobby Brown's "Rock Wit'cha," complemented with a few tougher tracks that are closer to the likes of "Beep." There are no shocks here, though "L.O.V.E." — a definite highlight — is surprisingly spangly for a Tim & Bob production. At 67 minutes, the album carries a fair amount of clutter, but it's still one of Bobby's best.