Baltimore singer Sisqó seems to be just another name in the “where have they been” game. A 90s relic, Sisqó amassed seven Top 40 hits as the lead singer of seminal R&B group Dru Hill. To the next generation, he would be known as “Thong Song” guy. Now he’s just this guy – a part he plays rather well on the forgettable Last Dragon.
Last Dragon is Sisqó’s first solo offering since 2001’s commercial flop Return of Dragon, which was dropped amidst the delay of the third Dru Hill album. Now he tours solo and with his band and is presumably in need of new material for his 9-5. Like his group, Sisqó is an act that really has no place making music in 2015. Proof of that was not necessary, but on Last Dragon, Sisqó doesn’t hesitate to give us a ton. While Sisqó is definitely an all-timer in the genre, his claims of being an A-lister are funnier kayfabe than whatever dope tale you heard on a rap release last year. Further listening shows that he’s not making the “Loyal” he set out to this time around.
The best thing about Last Dragon is that it’s safe and inoffensive: there really are worse guys we can trot out over club beats. “Lips” sounds like something he’d make in the 90s and auto-tune doesn’t sound horrific on him. The unfortunately titled “L.G.D.T.” (it stands for Let’s Get Down Tonight) veers dangerously close to guilty pleasure territory. The rest of Dru Hill show up for “Victim” and the result could have been worse, but much better.
This was not a noteworthy release, which nobody was pegging Sisqó to chalk one up in 2015. Sometimes releases like this are just nice for the purpose of taking a few hours to remind you that someone is alive. Me? I spent nights playing cards with my cousin in my grandmother’s basement listening to Mystikal’s “Ain’t No Limit” when Sisqó reached maximum exposure, so I’m more thrilled about Mystikal rearing his head on “Feel Right” from Mark Ronson’s latest album Uptown Funk.
Album Rating: 2/5
http://www.sisqo.com/
Mickey runs Sonic Discourse and it rules!