One third of the legendary Organized Noise production team, and best known for guesting on the upbeat, brilliant-if-overplayed “The Way You Move” from Big Boi, Sleepy Brown is no Pharrell muscling in on the real talents at the mic. His voice is smooth, his presence is strong, and he has the potential to craft a solo career for himself. But his much-delayed solo debut eschews the kind of risk his productions are known for, and the result turns into one big mash of slow fades waiting for pretty ladies in the video. The few times he strays from the formula — the average Neptunes production “Margarita,” the UK garage-like “Dance with Me” — at least offer variety. And the mostly uniform sound does produce a uniform level of quality; it even raises the bar on the celebratory “Me, My Baby, and My Cadillac.” Brown would do well to pay attention to past collaborator Cee-Lo’s recent success: do your thing and let your audience find you.
