Chris Brown knows his strengths, and on his seventh studio album, “Royalty,” the singer plays to them with solid success. It’s a feat worth applauding, considering how disparate the multidimensional singer’s specialties seem to be.
There’s the electro-dance stuff: the contagiously upbeat “Fine By Me”; the mid-tempo and cool “Zero”; and the Tayla Parx-assisted “Anyway,” with arena-filling waves of synth sounds. There’s the electronic-influenced “A Little More (Wake Me Up).” “You inspire me, gimme a reason to keep on,” Brown sings to his daughter, Royalty, who appears on the album cover, and inspired the release’s title as well.
It’s good, radio friendly pop music that seems as natural to Brown as traditional R&B fare, which he delivers with expertise on the old school-leaning “Make Love”; the sweet but slightly explicit “Back to Sleep”; and the steamy, Keith Sweat-inspired “Who’s Gonna (Nobody).”
Brown pushes the R&B envelope, too, linking with Dutch DJ-producer Afrojack — who worked on Brown’s “Look at Me Now” — for the very sexy “Discover,” with its trap-inspired production and slinky lyrics. And Brown gives typical R&B groveling a fresh spin on “Proof,” thanks, in large part, to help from “Trap Soul” singer Bryson Tiller, who co-wrote the track.
All-in-all, “Royalty” is a worthwhile collection, proving that in a world where “stay in your lane” is common wisdom, it doesn’t exactly apply to Brown, who has a few lanes to choose from.
