Sean Paul

Sean Paul was everywhere when his 2002 sophomore record Dutty Rock broke into the big time and it really felt as though he was never gonna go away — and that wasn’t a bad feeling. After livin’ it up on collaborations with Beyoncé and the Clipse, the DJ is back to bring more dancehall to the masses. Arguably Jamaica’s biggest contemporary star, Sean Paul may not be the country’s most gifted artist, yet his gift for hyper beats and some of the music’s tastiest hooks are undeniable. His aptly titled third album, The Trinity, finds Sean Paul Henriques doing more of the same with a dichotomy of lyrical content split in threes between "lover man,” "party starter” and "concerned citizen.” His strengths obviously lie in the first two as he gets Tami Chynn hot and bothered on the grindin’ "All On Me” and delivers another one of his blazing pop singles with the club massive "We Be Burnin’.” Unfortunately, it’s when Henriques tries to get serious on his home’s troubles with "Never Gonna Be the Same” that his stature decreases and kills the mood, which prior to it was hoppin’. And that’s basically how Sean Paul rolls; when he’s aiming for the dance floor or bedroom (and using a null conscience) his music’s full of so much exuberant life, which is the plan he should stick with. Thankfully, most of The Trinity is packed full of his best bits making it a fairly consistent collection of anthems, but it’s still just shy of matching the gem he dropped three years ago.