# Tremaine the Album

Tremaine the Album (or simplified as Tremaine) is the seventh studio album by American singer and songwriter Trey Songz. It was released on March 24, 2017, by Troy Taylor's Songbook label, with distribution from Atlantic Records. The album follows suit to Songz' sixth studio album, Trigga (2014).
Musically, Tremaine is an R&B album that explores the challenges of transforming a playboy lifestyle to a romantic one. The album was supported by five singles: "Nobody Else but You", "Playboy", "Animal", "Song Goes Off", and "The Sheets... Still". The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States. Tremaine was met with generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics.

## Background

In an interview with iHeartRadio, Trey Songz expressed his desire to be more vulnerable to his audience through Tremaine. The singer also said he aimed to create a sound that "is more genuinely what R&B means to [him] and what it has meant to [his] career", compared to the club-oriented sound of its "brash [and] bravado" predecessor Trigga. When asked about Tremaine's lyrical theme he said:
   I wouldn't say the overall theme of the album is me trying to understand why I'm still a ladies' man and not yet settled down. I would say that's a question that's asked throughout. I would say it's an answer that's explained throughout, too. Not for the world, but for myself and for men and women in the situations I've been in. Like I've said, I like to make my music the soundtrack of my life, as well as the possibility to be the soundtrack for other people's lives. So, I just want people to get an understanding of where I am mentally and what I think about sometimes.

## Music and lyrics

Tremaine is an R&B album, with a consistent mid-tempo groove. Lyrically, it explores the challenges of transforming a playboy lifestyle to a romantic one, featuring vulnerable moments in which the artist seeks to demonstrate his commitment to a loved one, alongside introspective reflections on his own dissatisfaction stemming from his inability to express genuine love due to his Casanova persona. On the other hand, the album also contains "hyper-libidinous" tracks that celebrate the enticing nature of sexual temptation.
The album opens up with the lines "I been stressed out / I ain't feeling my best / All they want is my sex", setting the theme for the album. On the "90's inspired" slow-jam "Playboy", he laments his inability to change, singing "Don't know why I'm still kissing girls that I don't love / still stumbling out of these clubs / still I'm just so hard to trust / don't know why I'm still a playboy". On "Nobody Else but You", "Come Over" and "Priceless", he approaches his lover as a changed man, expressing that all he desires and requires is her love. On "Animal" and "She Lovin It", Songz exuberantly portrays the thrill and excitement of passion-fueled one-night stands. The album also contains "painful" breakup songs, that reflect the tumultuous relationship with his former girlfriend, caused by his promiscuous lifestyle. Among these tracks is the alternative R&B record "Song Goes Off", as well as the closing track "Break from Love", a piano ballad where he yearns "I don't want to break from us / After all we've been through so much / I don't want to break from love".

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Revolt | |
| Vibe | |
| USA Today | |
| Exclaim! | 4/10 |
Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Andy Kellman of AllMusic praised the singer's vocal performances: "as vocalist of such considerable caliber [...] [t]here's no disproving that Songz is still in his element" but criticized the production for being "too flat and usual at times". Revolt's Maurita Salkey was complimentary of the album, saying "Trey's three-year hiatus seems to have paid off. This album leaves you with an array of emotions, but most importantly leaves you yearning for more." John Kennedy of Vibe praised its lyrical content, stating that it shows "a softer side of the guy who invented sex", ending up his review by saying that "Trigga and Tremaine [are] pop culture's great dualities [that distinct] the two sides of Trey Songz". Maeve McDermott of USA Today gave the album a mixed review, arguing that “While there's plenty to enjoy in Tremaine, Songz' new album exposes one reason why listeners are drawn to his contemporaries' darker tales of romance, (...) [he's] trying to prove [he's] special, while betraying hints of [his] toxic masculinity along the way." Kyle Mullin of Exclaim! said that "If only Songz had filled out Tremaine the Album with such stronger fare, it would be an LP worthy of bearing his name."

## Commercial performance

Tremaine debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 behind Drake's More Life and Ed Sheeran's ÷ with 67,000 album-equivalent units, which included 45,000 pure album sales in its first week. It serves as Trey Songz's fifth consecutive top three album in the United States. On September 17, 2019, The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.

## Track listing

Credits adapted from Tidal.
Notes
* signifies a co-producer
* signifies an additional producer

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| United States (RIAA) | Gold | 500,000$^‡$ |
| $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||