Over two years in the making, a period that involved a multitude of revisions and delays, anger management therapy, drug rehabilitation, and a jail stay for parole violation, surfaced in September 2014 as 's sixth full-length studio release. In a way, the album is a corrective. The influence of European dance-pop, which resulted in some of 's most forgettable material on , is all but eliminated in favor of contemporary R&B and pop productions that tend to suit the singer better. does maintain his bad-boy image. It's on typically full display in the chintzy "Loyal" -- its hook a misogynist pleonasm -- and the part-clever/part-nonsensical string of quotes that is the duet "Songs on 12 Play" ("And I'm feelin' on yo booty, drivin' me crazy, half on a baby"). On "Drown on It," the pied piper of R&B himself joins in, and he and dole out an unsurprisingly cartoonish variety of metaphorical and/or explicit come-ons that include "Just like a male mermaid, baby." combines memorable hooks with some stellar production work on the rubbery disco-funk of "Add Me In" (courtesy of ) and the blithe, swaying "Time for Love" (a collaboration with and ). In these and a few other songs, romantic affection, expressed with seemingly genuine sweetness, takes precedence over sexual aggression and petulance. More importantly, 's voice, still boyish, sounds most natural and full of life in these settings. Additional guest appearances come from , , and , but 's lone spot reserved for a woman is his best collaboration here. On the darker but no less striking "Do Better," he and continue a fruitful association that previously resulted in the Top Five R&B hit "Put It Down" and the phenomenal album cut "Slower." It's one of the more compelling R&B duets of its time, with their vulnerable confessions as sharp as their aspersions. [The deluxe edition adds four tracks, including the pre-album singles "Fine China" (one of 's best), "Love More" (featuring ), and "Don't Think They Know" (pieced together from 's -enhanced song of the same title, previously unheard elements recorded for it, and 's "They Don't Know"). The sticker on the cover of the compact disc version referred to these three singles, as well as "Loyal" and "New Flame," as "#1 hits." When the album was released, none of the five had topped 's Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, or Hot R&B Songs charts, or any of the publication's charts that track digital sales, airplay, and streaming.] ~ Andy Kellman