Note to Mr. Klaus: Ginuwine has been a very bad boy this year

Prepare for a holly un-jolly internal ear bleed with A Ginuwine Christmas. R&B singer Ginuwine tries to squeeze the sexy into Christmas using stale urban beats and unforgiving mixed messages. On the album opener “Mistletoe,” Elgin Lumpkin uses horny “Pony” antics on weak turn-on lines that certainly trivialize the popular porn-and-B sound (“I know my name ain’t Santa Claus, but c’mon sit on my lap”). Adding B2K flair to “12 Days” doesn’t help the set, nor does the rave-peppered “Joy To The World” bring the joy. Although Ginuwine plays with a few decent originals (“All I Want”) and turns the manger scene into a Luther Vandross love fest on the one-minute “Silent Night,” the songs sound like they were culled from home-studio demo phases and are married with subpar arrangements. With our Sir Tim Mosley nowhere nearby to help steer the R&B singer into an avenue of holiday sex jams, Ginuwine is disappointedly harboring back on his younger years to get some Trey Songz inspiration, while neglecting a perfect opportunity to sing sexy mature music that doesn’t feel corny or appear to sound like a desperate attempt at winning some quick holiday cash.

J MATTHEW COBB

• Release Date: 11 October 2011
• Label: Notifi Music Group
• Producer: ——–
• Spin This: “All I Want”