Ginuwine's initial impact was also his greatest. Rather than gradually spin out with albums that steadily diminish creatively and commercially, he has put together a series of releases strong enough to maintain his presence on radio.
Back II da Basics, his fifth album in ten years, offers roughly the same mixture of romantic subject matter heard before, but it shows him growing out of club tracks and further into lush ballads and gentle mid-tempo material. Without the club tracks,
Back II da Basics would be an even better, bolder, more mature release. Even "Secrets," the best of the upbeat tracks, is nearly ruined by producer
Jazze Pha's intrusive vocals, which rub against
Ginuwine's voice in the same way that
Bobby Byrd would be a bad match for
Ronald Isley. On the other side,
Ginuwine has never done anything as understated or idyllic as "Want U to Be," which glides by with shades of
Michael Jackson's "I Can't Help It" -- much more so than
Fabolous' "I Can't Help It"-sampling hit "Baby." On the heartbroken "Glaze in My Eye," he falls into a starry production from
Trackmasters'
Poke and Tone with a perfectly measured grace and humility not heard on either
Ginuwine...The Bachelor or
100% Ginuwine. This proves that he doesn't need to be bumptious -- as with "Pony" or "In Those Jeans" -- to be a force. ~ Andy Kellman