Who is Bobby Valentino? That’s something I’ve asked myself ever since his sophomore album Special Occasion hit the shelves in 2007. With his new album The Rebirth he’s making even less sense of his artistry.

On the self titled debut Bobby Valentino was exclusively working with the producer duo Tim & Bob, who made him shine with exceptional hits as ‘Slow’ and ‘Tell Me’. He introduced himself as a part of their peculiar sound. We didn’t mind his weak voice - his sense for uncomplicated but great melodies in combination with Tim & Bob’s oriental productions made his presence fresh and unique, he differed from other artists out there.

While working on his second album Special Ocassion Valentino built a hunger for commercial success and took help from giants as Timbaland, Darkchild, B. Cox and Dre & Vidal to reach his goal. Tim & Bob stayed by his side but now only as producers of a third of the album. Even though some of the songs by his new collaborators where the album’s strongest (’Anonymous’, ‘Checkin For Me’), and even though the album was as decent as it’s predecessor (overall good but uneven), my interest for Bobby Valentino left me at this point. His weakness as a singer became too clear with him performing a wide collection of songs not specifically tied to him.

Since Special Occasion he’s left Ludacris’ label Disturbing Tha Peace to start his own Blue Kolla Dreams under EMI, and changed his artist name from Bobby Valentino to Bobby V due to a legal threat from a british violinist by the same name. Last year he compiled the EP Come With Me containing a small collection of confusion: nice tracks in which we could take part of Bobby’s desperate search for a sound to embrace. His third album The Rebirth continues where his EP ended.

‘Make You The Only One’ is a Tim & Bob-produced leftover from Special Occasion, in the same spirit as ‘Slow Down’ and ‘Tell Me’. One of the album’s strongest tracks.

On the L.O.S.-produced ‘Hands On Me’ Bobby V puts he The-Dream suite on a year too late and delivers a predictable copy of the copies already made in this studied way. ‘Butterfly Tattoo’ on the other hand is better. Also produced by L.O.S. but this time  Bobby’s more successful copying the Radio Killa sound. It feels like a nice combination of ‘Bed’ and ‘Playin In Her Hair’.

‘Just Me And You’ might work as nostalgia for those familiar to Tony Toni Tone’s 90s hit. In my opinion Bobby V ain’t close to outshining the original version.

‘Beep Beep’ really surprises me, Bobby V has dressed up like Ray J. Quite unexpected since there hasn’t been a obvious demand for his sound, but then again, ‘Sexy Can I’ became a smaller hit last year. This song ain’t by far as good though.

With ‘Another Life’ and ‘Give Me Your Heart’, two decent tracks, Bobby has suddenly transformed to Prince in a classic manner. He’s not influenced like The-Dream, he adopts the whole kit and takes a trip back performing the songs as Prince in the late 80’s/early 90’s.

In it’s whole the quality of the album is like his other two, overall good but uneven. But again, who is Bobby V? It’s obvious he still don’t know what unique points he has to offer, desperately grasping at other artists sounds. Except from a weak voice (that’s grown a bit stronger since Special Occasion) and a trip in huge confusion, I don’t know either.

Bobby V - Make You The Only One (prod. by Tim & Bob)

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Bobby V - Butterfly Tattoo (prod. by L.O.S.)

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