Tank - This Is How I Feel Review

Tank’s the sort of R&B artist that exists mostly in memories these days, all husky tenor and shirt-lacking cover art, but This Is How I Feel sees all his time writing and producing for artists like Chris Brown, Plies and Omarion apparently sapping most of his more human characteristics in favor of typical modern R&B boisterousness. Even when his sound reaches back to his origins at Blackground, like “Your One” or “Better Than Me”, the results feel tepid and unengaging. The arrangements are defiantly spare, meant to put Tank’s always pleasant vocal work on display but really only serving to highlight disappointing lyrical ideas like his friends call him Dollar Bill, so the girl he’s addressing can refer to him as “[her] one”. Despite being 36 years old, Tank spends most of this album writing like a spoiled teenager.


“Compliments”, the album’s single featuring T.I., is pretty indicative of all the things that don’t really work about This Is How I Feel, which is a little awkward since in many ways it’s also the best thing here. It’s a song that feels alright on the surface, with a spacey little sci-fi beat that would feel pleasant to drive around to at night or wind down to at a club, and its chorus is catchy enough. But the song has this soullessness to it, this way of feeling like the sort of uncharming banter that occurs on a show like the Real Housewives series. T.I. drives that point home with a meandering verse that essentially mentions every possible physical and fashionable feature of a woman at a club, even going so far as to imply fancy pocketbooks are a turn on. The verse is essentially a cousin to his feature on Drake’s “Fancy”, except it’s not fun at all....full text On his fifth studio album, the R&B muscleman who goes by the stage name Tank gives us his best effort yet as a singer-songwriter. His This is How I Feel album, which was released in the U.S. May 8, 2012, is a well-rounded album of romantic-leaning songs. Although Tank, whose birth name is Durrell Babbs, does a solid job carrying most of the album by himself, it's actually the guest artists, including rappers T.I. and Busta Rhymes, as well as up-and-coming singer Kris Stephens, who bring with them the variety and diversity that helps push This is How I Feel to heights that it otherwise might not have reached....full text One of the most frequently asked questions in music today is where is real R&B? Amongst the hip-pop, party-rock and other hybrid genres, no genre is missed more than authentic R&B. Thankfully, it’s finally time to call off the search parties because real R&B has been found in Tank’s 5th studio album This is How I Feel.

Tank is arguably one of the most underrated veteran artists in music. With over a decade of industry experience under his belt, he’s worked with Ginuwine, Timbaland and Aaliyah. Most recently, he’s collaborated with Drake, Chris Brown and now T.I. The R&B General’s Grammy-nominated 3rd album Sex, Love & Pain is one of my all-time favorites, so needless to say my expectations for this project were extremely high.

While the cover artwork is obviously pleasing on the eyes, don’t get distracted, this veteran could sell this album wearing a turtleneck. From beginning to end, this album is filled with smooth melodies, soul barring lyrics and out-of-this-world vocals. The intro track is the greatest beginning to an album I’ve heard in a long time. The two minute song is a perfect mix of what’s to come. In the lyrics he promises to “separate the man from boys” and sing “real R&B.” Without a doubt, he delivers. Songs like “Nowhere” and “Your One” will immediately have you singing along....full text