Now on his fourth album,
Bobby V is evidently walking a path similar to that of
Avant,
Joe, and
Ginuwine -- R&B artists who aren’t
Usher-level crossover superstars but release decent, commercially successful albums every couple years. As is the case with his slightly older contemporaries,
Bobby V doesn't change up his sound so much as he refines it. On
Fly on the Wall, he works extensively once more with Tim & Bob, as well as past associates Carlos "LOS da Mystro" McKinney and
Bryan-Michael Cox, along with the Pentagon (an
Underdogs offshoot),
Jazze Pha, and a handful of other collaborators. As usual, there is a high percentage of ballads made for the sake of seduction, including a passable cover of
Bobby Brown's "Rock Wit'cha," complemented with a few tougher tracks that are closer to the likes of "Beep." There are no shocks here, though "L.O.V.E." -- a definite highlight -- is surprisingly spangly for a Tim & Bob production. At 67 minutes, the album carries a fair amount of clutter, but it's still one of
Bobby's best. ~ Andy Kellman