Pretty Ricky - Late Night Special

A quick listen to a 10-second recording from any part of Pretty Ricky’s debut album ‘Bluestars’ would serve as a reminder that the group’s chief interest, expertise and experience is the relations with the ladies. Now they’re back with a sophomore record and it’s no surprise that from the word go it’s bang, sex, sex and more sex.

Within a minute of pressing play, Pretty Ricky’s Pleasure is claiming he’ll “pull them panties to the floor”, but, of course, that’s only to be expected from Miami’s, ahem, ‘excited’ quartet. The formula for ‘Late Night Special’ is simple and the rhymes are basic, but there’s something hugely appealing about the music Pretty Ricky make.

All the tracks are explicit, upbeat and catchy. ‘Push It Baby’ and ‘Personal Trainer’ pump up the pace while racy slow jams like ‘Leave It All Up To You’ and ‘Stay’ brings things down a step. The ballad ‘Love Like Honey’ is another album highlight, with a beat almost as sweet as the title matter. Pretty Ricky refer to making love with a girl as ‘sticky and slow’ – a slightly more blunt take on 112’s ‘Peaches & Cream’.

The album’s lead single ‘On the Hotline’ is a mid-tempo creation exploring a more vocal form of intimacy – i.e. over the phone. Despite cringing at the thought of 13-year olds nodding their heads to a 20-something singing about phone sex, it has to be admitted that the boys pull it off. Pleasure shines on the chorus, borrowing a few lines from Salt N Pepa’s ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’, and Spectacular’s bare chest gets a welcome re-appearance in the video.

Truesay, that’s probably all Spec’s good for. But at least he isn’t denying that fact. “The ladies call me Spectac/ You can check my contract/ Got a couple mil out the deal for my six pack,” he admits on the track ‘Up And Down’. And when Pretty Ricky cool the explicit lyrics as they round off the CD, Baby Blue’s lack of rapping talent shows in his inability to switch his flow to suit the pace. As for the last member of the group, Slick Em’s still yelling and growling in the midst of his constant high. But their brashness is what drives their image – confidence is key.

Yes it’s oversexed, yes it’s corny and of course it’s not real hip-hop, but catchy hooks, smooth production and a slick image will no doubt push Pretty Ricky up the charts.