Music Review: Unleashed
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What Parents Should Know
This music, filled with arrogant posturing that somehow
comes off as cute, doesn't dig deep--but that's OK. It's fun to
listen to and careful not to offend. Teenagers are obsessed
with self-image and the mysterious world of dating and
relationships. Why should Bow Wow--at 16--be any different?
At 16, Bow Wow's voice is changing. With UNLEASHED, he successfully sheds the "Lil" image and begins establishing himself as a likeable and relatively inoffensive rap artist.
Most of the songs are about--well, about Bow Wow. No longer produced by Jermaine Dupri, he's brought in some of hip-hop's heavy hitters to help him out: Swizz Beatz, Jazze Pha, The Neptunes, and Lil' John. Baby guest stars on the Jazze Pha produced lead single "Get Down" - a song about Bow Wow as ladies' man. "Eighteen" is both wistful and cocky, a fantasy about what life will be life upon reaching that magic birthday--a popular theme with teenagers for generations. (Remember "Wouldn't it be Nice" by the Beach Boys?) "The Movement" provides the only moment of social consciousness on the CD, and "To My Mama" is a sweet tribute to Bow Wow's mom, Teresa Caldwell--who also shares executive producer credit.
The rest is playful, arrogant swaggering, well-produced and well-performed. He's not breaking any new ground here, but Bow Wow is growing up, and it will be interesting to see where he takes us next.
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