''The Rebirth'' (originally titled ''Underground Love'') is the third studio album by American R&B singer

Bobby V Bobby Marcel Wilson (born February 27, 1980), better known by his stage name Bobby V (also known as Bobby Valentino), is an American R&B singer. He was first a member of the R&B group Mista in 1994, before signing to rapper Ludacris through h ...

, who had recorded his first two albums under the name Bobby Valentino. It was released on February 10, 2009. The album was V's first to be released through his record label Blu Kolla Dreams,Bobby V Set For 'Rebirth' With New Label and Album
''singersroom.com''. Accessed September 29, 2017. and debuted at number seven on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, selling 64,000 copies in its first week. The first single, "Beep", reached 55 on the billboard 100 and 6 on the R&B and Hip-Hop his chart. The second single, "Hands On Me", reached number 56.

Concept

After V's sophomore disc, '' Special Occasion'', was scarcely supported by his soon-to-be-former label, it was clearly time to re-envision his career. The introspection and soul-searching resulted in ''The Rebirth''. Alongside producers LOS Da Maestro,

Raphael Saadiq Raphael Saadiq (; born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! In addition to his solo and group ...

, Big Fruit and long-time collaborators Tim & Bob, the album, which revolves around relationships, offers a mature effort that will both please loyal fans and win over fickle critics. The album's lead single, "

Beep The Blocks Extensible Exchange Protocol (BEEP) is a framework for creating network application protocols. BEEP includes building blocks like framing, pipelining, multiplexing, reporting and authentication for connection and message-oriented pee ...

" featuring

Yung Joc Jasiel Amon Robinson (born September 20, 1980), better known by his stage name Yung Joc, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2006 hit single " It's Goin' Down". and as a feature on T-Pain's US number-one single "Buy U a Drank (Shawt ...

, was released via

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

on October 7, 2008 and details the joys of adventurous sex. Bobby notes, Bobby was especially honored to work with

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

-winner

, who produced "Just Me & You" for the project, which covers Saadiq's 1991 hit "Just Me and You." Bobby beams: Tim & Bob crafted "3 Is the New 2," a

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of limi ...

-tinged joint playing on the phrase "30 is the new 20." On working with the duo Bobby explains: Additional tracks include "Hands on Me," about a desperate attempt to remain faithful despite a very tempting dalliance, the mid-tempo ballad "Butterfly Tattoo," which evokes '80s

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

, complete with synthesized accents and an electric guitar solo, and the ballad "Give Me Your Heart," on which Bobby takes listeners to church with divine chords and an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentou ...

. ''The Rebirth'' also marks V's production debut with the track "Make You Say," inspired by the hook he wrote and sings on

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

's hit "

Mrs. Officer "Mrs. Officer" is the fourth single from Lil Wayne's album ''Tha Carter III''. Its lyrics explore the tension between criminal suspects and police officers by portraying a relationship between Lil Wayne and a female police officer; it goes so f ...

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

editor Anthony Tognazzini rated the album three ouf of five stars and wrote: "The third album from smooth crooner Bobby Valentino offers up another dose of svelte, contemporary R&B ..V. worked with producers Tim & Bob and Carlos McKinney on this set, keeping things up to date with the polished and sleekly digitized sound common in 21st-century R&B. He delivers on bedroom ballads and mid-tempo jams, both of which he carries off with suave, sexy vocal assurance. ''The Rebirth'' is in the same mold as Valentino’s first two releases, but fans of those albums will find plenty to savor here."

Chart performance

''The Rebirth'' debuted at number seven on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 64,000 copies in its first week.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rebirth, The 2009 albums Albums produced by Tim & Bob Bobby V albums