Album Review: 5.0, Nelly

3/5

by JOE NOOB

When the Captain put 5.0 down on my desk and said, “review it.” I was blown away.

Nelly has a new album?

I was expecting to be transported back to high school. Back to the days of Country Grammar, Ride Wit Me and E.I., Hell, I’d settle for Pimp Juice.

I prepared myself for some senseless, sexy, mostly silly songs. I was pleasantly surprised when Just a Dream came on.

The intro riff made me double check to make sure I was listening to Nelly. When his vocals kicked in, it was unmistakably Nelly, but not Air Force Ones Nelly, this was Over and Over Nelly. Remember that tune? Nelly and Timmy?

“She was so easy to love, but wait, I guess that love wasn’t enough,” yup, this is defiantly not the same Nelly that rapped about his shoe collection.

Sure, Making Movies is about sex and nothing. But it is still a nice slow jam that sounds like a love song. Despite saying, “I tried to get my Usher on but I couldn’t let it burn,” in the for mentioned Just a Dream, that seems to be exactly what Nelly is doing with 5.0, and I like it.

The point of these albums is to get radio play, and dance floor play and Nelly has nailed both markets on the head perfectly. Liv Tonight is going to have people shaking it and looking like idiots in bars everywhere very soon. It isn’t my favourite song on the album, but after a few drinks, I can see myself moving to this tune. Or at least, pump a fist to it.

5.0 is far from what I expect from a Nelly album, which is a good thing. The combination of slow jams about lost love and sex dance tracks and a few raunchy pure rap tunes keeps 5.0 interesting throughout all 12 tracks, 46 min.

The two most disappointing things about this outing is the annoying as hell chorus on Broke, and that he has a track called I’m Number One. This disappointed me so much because Number One was one of my favourite Nelly songs. I saw it and thought it might be a rehash, remix or just re-release of this classic track, instead it is one of the more forgettable tracks on the album.

5.0 isn’t going to light anyone’s world on fire, but if it were released in the summer, some tracks would be huge. Sadly, it’s cold and getting colder. Not only is 5.0 going on my iPod, but I am digging out my old Nelly albums too.

You will know him from his very definable voice. You will hear him in the club. And I do think you will enjoy him. Bravo, Nelly. Bravo.

P.S. For the record, Nelly did fall short of Usher. But come on, Usher sets a high bar for slow jams and club tracks.

Check Out: Just A Dream, Liv Tonight, and Nothing With Out Her.