In April 2015, the six-track Intermission was issued as a free digital download. A month later, the Atlantic label gave that material a commercial release, added six tracks, and titled it Intermission I & II. Various outlets termed it a mixtape, a project, and an expanded edition of a free EP. Regardless of the classification, it's apparent that Intermission I & II should not be considered the proper follow-up to 2014's Trigga (which was expanded in July 2015 as a "reloaded" edition, not to be confused with that album's earlier, slightly different deluxe edition). Intermission I & II is decent enough to keep the singer in the spotlight, yet little of it -- mostly slick, pillowy, and substandard slow jams filled with a typical assortment of Songz' boasts, objectifications, and expletives -- is essential.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo