The guilty pleasure artist is one of my personal favorites. They may not be the coolest or most musically respectable out there, but when you're in a down mood, you can throw on a few songs and instantly be in a better mood. The guilty pleasure artist breaks up any monotony that one may have in their music collection, as I know I personally can only take so much seriousness before I start to crack. The guilty pleasure artist kind of keeps me sane and that's why as much as my musical taste has grown, I keep coming back for more.
Trina's been on the scene for about half a decade longer than anybody really expected. Bursting onto the scene in the early 2000s on Slip-n-Slide Records, the Miami bombshell became known for her filthy rhymes and barely there ensembles, the dirty south's answer to Lil Kim and Foxy Brown, so to speak. Trina's never been a commercial blockbuster or Hot 100 heroine, but one thing you can say for her is that she's consistent, which has extended to her 2010 album Amazin'.
Originally featuring Lady Gaga, Let Dem Hoes Fight now utilizes Estelle doppelganger (and apparently Gwen Stefani sound-a-like) Kalenna over some strangely minimalist production (the finger snap-only verses are a bit of an eyebrow raiser). With some typically giddy lyricism (some utilized in nursery rhyme-ish chants) that embraces the finer aspects of what makes Trina tick (i.e. she's a bad chick and you're not), it's not as gratuitous as it could have been had it been made earlier in the Miami femcee's career. However, the randomly obnoxious autotuned chanting and lack of any sort of bridge take away from the pleasure and emphasize the guilty. White Girl (as in "I wanna get loose and party like a...") is just as ridiculous as you might think. It even has the Flo Rida cameo to prove it and yes, he still hasn't changed his flow almost three albums in. It's a fairly catchy listen (the sharp claps and heavy emphasis on monotonous keyboard taps faintly reminds me of Rida's own Low) that will be the earworm of the record; if anything, this won't be a listen you forget. Featuring supposed rival Nicki Minaj and dancehall queen Lady Saw, Dang-a-Lang has that type of waist whining island appeal makes it one of the few genuinely melodic listens on the record (are those tubas I hear?). Of course, it's a lyrical atrocity, Minaj's exaggerated, helium-aided rambles extremely nonsensical and Saw sounding embarrassed to be associated with this foolishness. One thing I don't like about Trina's music is that her flow just isn't that versatile and it's evident here; she sounds kind of wooden and lets a promising track slip from her grasp.
Trina can carry a track when it's the type of in-your-face uptempo that she built her career on. That's My Attitude absolutely shines with its explicitness and palpable confidence (on the slower songs, she doesn't sound sure of herself, which spreads to the listener and kind of makes you doubt her sincerity); I know she's made a more conscious effort to clean things up and not be such an extreme emcee, but goodness, these songs are her bread and butter (it's more posturing and preening than the aggressive war dance of her breakthrough Da Baddest B!tch). To me, Trina's music is energetic and lively, so on songs like Capricorn that lack a pulse, it's hard to really stay with her. My B!tches uses some chipmunk effects and choppy strings to make a celebratory friendship anthem through the perspective of the one and only Trina. There's some heart and lots of love expressed by Taylor, but it's got her signature blend of humor, sexuality, and self-esteem that's weaved in between the brisk bass and handclaps. It's a little goofy, but this is a Trina album, so what do you really expect?
Always takes advantage of 2010 comeback queen Monica for one of the smoother r&b cuts on the record (and something that feels like a Monica featuring Trina track). Trina's biggest hit is something in this ilk, so you can't really blame a girl for reaching for that second hit of mainstream success. Something about it just reeks of prom or high school mixtapes; that's not necessarily an insult, but with Monica's tenderly caressed hook and some slow dance-ready production, it just puts you in mind of that season. Frequent collaborator and fellow Slip-n-Slide signee Shonie joins Trina for On Da Hush, a piano-lenient midtempo that places the emcee in the role of secret lover. While it may not have the type of sensuality or seduction that other song (it's not laidback enough and the production's too in your face), it's still an enjoyable listen, mostly due to Shonie's soft hook. The two of them have some pretty strong chemistry (they have some strong unreleased songs floating around YouTube), so even when it may not be the best song, it's listenable. Capricorn could have been a cute little listen (it seems to be fairly genuine and comes from a good place), but Trina decided to try to turn this into some funky interlude/spoken word hybrid. She doesn't really flow on here, which makes it almost funny; it's more of conversation with Miss Katrina Taylor about how good her man is, obviously centering around his astrological sign. It lags due to Shonie being relegated to very brief ad libs, allowing us pretty much four minutes of straight introverted Trina, closing the album on a down note.
If you're looking for a serious, thoughtful album from a female emcee, I suggest you look elsewhere. But if you need some hilarious club cuts, fairly decent r&b-heavy slow jams, and lots of posturing in your life, Trina has the album for you. If anything, a Trina album will always entertain; whether that's from a genuine musical accomplishment or a sick train wreck fascination is a whole other thing, though, as this album has both in spades. Amazin' may not live up to its title (hence not recommending it) but it has enough moments that are ripe for cherry picking from iTunes.
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