Robin Thicke has been on this sexism-for-money kick for a while now ("Blurred Lines", anyone?), but with yet another this-could-be-Justin-Timberlake-but-it's-worse single released to the public, we have to ask, why is Robin Thicke pushing so hard to be a lesser J.T.? I've literally said before that he's the poor man's Justin Timberlake, but now, with his new, just-released track "Take It Easy On Me," it seems all too clear that he's purposely marketing himself as such.
I mean, listen to this and tell me it doesn't sound like a Justin Timberlake reject from FutureSex/LoveSounds that's been remastered for millennial pornos. Not to be specific or anything.
I'm sorry I had to do that to you, it was terrible, I know. Go listen to Justin's "Senorita" and calm down for a second. But how seriously "Justin" is that song? The only novelty Thicke appears to be bringing to the table here is rampant and uncomfortable misogyny. Sorry, but saying, "I want to rip through all your fancy clothes/I wanna shop for your underwear" does not in any way turn me on -- it makes me uncomfortable. I like my clothes, especially the fancy stuff, and underwear shopping is kind of a personal thing I do with my mom when the Victoria's Secret sales are on. Sorry. Maybe it's presumptuous, but I'm assuming other girls feel the same way, too.
Which is not to say Thicke's new approach on this album isn't working. He's getting more attention than ever, "Blurred Lines" is ruling the charts, as it has for weeks, and here I am, writing yet another article about him. Clearly, combining Justin Timberlake's sound, lots of sexy talk, and Timbaland beats is, well, effective. It's just so ... soulless. And for an R&B singer, that doesn't seem like a good thing. If the only way to gain commercial success is to sing about sex all the time and rip off another artist's style, is it really success at all?
I love me some J.T., and if Robin Thicke were putting out really great, Justin-Timberlake-ish stuff that was on that level, you wouldn't find me complaining. But the beats are lazy, the J.T.-style voice noodling sucks, and the weird echoey backing vocals make me feel like I just woke up from a bad trip in a train tunnel somewhere. Not a strong start.
Also, and maybe I'm just not up-to-date, but I really don't see how the name of the song, and the entire chorus of "Take it Easy on Me" actually relates to any of the uber-sexual imagery present throughout the rest of the track. Thicke talks about taking someone's cherry pie, but as far as I know, taking it easy just means relaxing ... right?
Robin Thicke singing sketchily about cherries and underwear shopping does not exactly sound like good R&R to me. It doesn't even sound like good R&B to me. It just makes me yearn for the days of Justin telling us to get our sexy on.
So Thicke might end up with yet another chart-topper, maybe he'll make another video with naked models and T.I., but all I'll be thinking is that gosh darn it, Justin does it better.
