Robin Thicke

Love it, hate it or tolerate it, silly single "Blurred Lines" is the catchiest earworm of the summer. For years (and five studio albums), singer-songwriter Robin Thicke has been doing his "soulful R&B" shtick in relative "under the pop radar" mode, but one could imagine him secretly seething, wondering what he finally has to do to achieve even a slice of Justin Timberlake's success doing virtually the same thing. Well, in the T.I.- and Pharrell- featuring "Blurred Lines" (and accompanying controversial music video), Thicke has a frisky hit on his hands. In the context of the slickly produced titular album, it actually holds up, contentious lyrical content notwithstanding. One can imagine Thicke and crew rushing to the studio to create this release, desperate to capitalize on the track's success. Follow-up single "Give It 2 U," featuring human co-signer Kendrick Lamar, rides that urban pop formula Thicke has finally cracked — riding in the same lane as Timberlake, but with a twist. Although cynics might say the album feels littered with songs Timberlake might have passed on (see: "Put Your Loving On Me"), tracks like "The Good Life," "Feel Good" and "4 The Rest of My Life" prove that Thicke hasn't forgotten his more erotically soulful approach. Mixed with poppy tracks like "Top of the World," "Pressure" and Michael Jackson meets Hall and Oates ditty "Ain't No Hat 4 That," it's evident that Thicke has created his most fun and mainstream-friendly project yet. That sound you hear in the background is Robin Thicke breathing a huge sigh of relief.