Food for Thought

by Andy KellmanFueled by raging hormones and a whole lot of alcohol -- enough, in fact, to make him forget his own name (he said it) -- Young Rome's solo debut is a rather defiant move and a striking attempt to leave his kid-pop past in the dust. The chorus of "Sexapade" sums up the whole album: "Come jump in my Escalade/I'm so drunk I forgot my name/All I wanna do is get laid/Come join me in my sexapade." The endless succession of lewd and cocky rhymes occasionally comes across as desperate. It's not that he doesn't sell it well. He does make the transition from youngster to player a lot smoother than many other artists who have developed similarly. It's just that he sells it too much. Point made -- alright, he's not the same person who recorded "Mom's Illin'" and "Da Munchies" with his Immature partners. Beyond a couple OK singles, the album lacks depth, and it's only consistent for the fact that it's one-dimensional throughout. Marques Houston co-writes and co-produces first single "After Party" and ought to take himself to court for fleecing "Pop That Booty."