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Suit | 145121__nell_l
'HOT' OR NOT? Nelly's softer side is his strong ''Suit''
Nelly: Suzan/allactiondigital.com/Retna

Credits

Release Date: Sep 14, 2004; Lead Performance: Nelly; Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
A-
By David Browne
David Browne
David Browne
David Browne is EW's music critic and author of ''Dream Brother: The Lives & Music of Jeff & Tim Buckley'' (HarperCollins)

Tellingly, Nelly sounds convincing and appealing on Suit, which opens with the summer-breezy, Neptunes-produced ''Play It Off'' and rarely lets up. On Sweat, Nelly is in aggressive pursuit of women, but here, he goes gentler in tracks like ''Paradise'' and his retelling of his daughter's birth, ''Die for You.'' His leave-no-listener-behind side shines through in the cozy hip-hop soul of ''In My Life'' and the rapturous sandal-fetish ode ''Pretty Toes.'' In an audacious move, he recruits none other than Tim McGraw to interject bleary refrains on the breakup ballad ''Over and Over.'' Even if it doesn't convert a single country lover to his cause, it's the clearest sign yet that Nelly's aspirations go far beyond getting over a severed relationship.


Posted Sep 10, 2004
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