After a few delays, Joe has finally delivered his ninth album, The Good, The Bad, The Sexy, via Kedar Entertainment.
The follow-up to 2009’s Signature features production by Brandon “BAM” Alexander, Osinachi Nwaneri, Gerald “Nasty Twin” Isaac, Brennan Gragston, Anthony L. Saunders, and The Ambassadorz.
True to its title, The Good, The Bad, The Sexy explores the complexities of love, navigating the highs, lows, and passion of relationships. Opening with “Losing,” the album’s lead single penned by Andrew Merritt and produced by Nwaneri, Joe confronts the album’s titular “Bad” head-on as he sings about a sinking relationship.
“How could I love someone who only breaks me into a million pieces? / Love is no longer in the building / Everybody’s losing,” he sings.
The subsequent track, “Time of Your Life,” hints at a shift in mood. Joe encounters an attractive woman who is seemingly upset about something. Being the gentleman he is, Joe offers to show her a great night, allowing her a moment to escape whatever is weighing on her. “Baby, put your cares aside and let me introduce you to mine,” he croons.
Joe spends the majority of the album singing about the good and the sexy. On the confessional “Almost There,” he admits he is catching feelings for his lady friend: “How we go from friends to lovers?” he asks before confessing, “Started as friends, but now my heart says different.”
Songs like “Pull My Hair,” “Lose Control,” and “Tonight” were made strictly for the bedroom. “Taste you to the last drop until you reach ecstasy / It’s whatever you like and we gonna do it / When we’re making love tonight,” he murmurs.
While the tender “Slow Kisses” could be added to a lovemaking playlist, the song itself is about the quiet intimacy of cuddling. He sings in the first verse: “Tonight I’m gonna lay you on the bed / And we ain’t even about to have sex / Just lay your head down on my chest / Sometimes the simple things are the best.”
Even though the album leans more into the sexy and the good, the bad parts of love aren’t totally ignored, as indicated above. On the album’s centerpiece, “Dear Joe,” the crooner feels blindsided; after a steamy reconciliation with an ex, he wakes up alone to find only a goodbye note. “We shook the world for hours, now it’s dead silence, oh / Don’t take your love away you know it belongs right here,” he croons.
In the penultimate “Impossible,” written by D. Brown, Joe is at a crossroads in a relationship. He assures his woman that he’s doing everything he can to be the best man he can be, but he wants her to know that he’s not Superman. All he asks is for her to appreciate the fact that he’s giving her his “heart of gold.”
Closing with The Ambassadorz-helmed “Drink Up,” Joe returns to the bedroom with a bottle of liquid courage to spice up his lovemaking session with his significant other. “You can put a little bit more in your cup girl / You can put a little bit more in my cup too girl.”
Overall, The Good, The Bad, The Sexy is yet another solid album by Joe. He sticks to his classic R&B roots, which is quite refreshing in this current landscape. Whether he’s singing about the good (“Slow Kisses” “Almost There”), the bad (“Losing,” “Dear Joe”), or the sexy (“Pull My Hair,” “Lose Control,” “Tonight”) of love, Joe doesn’t miss a beat.
