Special Occasion (2007)

This Ludacris protégé oozes suave confidence on his second set of romantic whispers, but Bobby Valentino's self-assured attitude isn't always enough to sell these songs. He gets a boost early on from a pair of effervescent Timbaland co-productions, ''Anonymous'' and ''Rearview (Ridin')''; as soon as the tempos slow, though, Valentino's vocals start losing pep. By the disc's halfway point, he's reached a soporific low. The remaining songs on Special Occasion will provide agreeable mood music for a candlelit dinner in a pinch, if nothing else. B-