Priceless (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Frankie J (vocals); Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Mannie Fresh, Slim, Chamillionaire (rap vocals); Chris Pettaway, Charles Pettaway (guitar); Dennis D-Moe Moorehead (keyboards).

Audio Mixers: Manny Marroquin; Duro; James Hoover; Phil Tan; Sam Thomas ; Leslie Brathwaite.

Recording information: Ameraycan Studios, North Hollywood, CA; Battery Studios, New York, NY; Digital Services, Houston, TX; Patchwek Recordings, Atlanta, GA; Record Plant, Hollywood, CA; Sonikwire Studios, Irvine, CA; Sony Music Studios, New York, NY; Studio 7303, Houston, TX.

Photographer: Ronald Cadiz.

On PRICELESS, Frankie J's follow-up to his 2005 breakthrough album, THE ONE, the Latino vocalist presents another potent set of hip-hop-laden R&B. With his smooth voice and immediately catchy tunes, the singer (aka Francisco Javier Bautista) confidently mines the same pop-tinged stutter-funk terrain as Justin Timberlake and Usher, particularly on "That Girl," an infectious, beat-driven single that features the rhymes of rapper Chamillionaire and the production of Mannie Fresh. For those disappointed that the former Kumbia King focuses on English-language songs here, UN NUEVO DIA (also released in '06) gives fans their Frankie J-en-Espanol fix, making for an impressive pair of records by an undeniably talented crossover artist.

Priceless trails the all-Spanish Un Nuevo Día -- one of Frankie J's most accomplished albums -- by only six months. Though he continues to work the smooth ballads and light midtempo material with a remarkable degree of finesse, the album contains another handful of attempts at sculpting a tougher image. While the strategy might result in the occasional hit single, it's never a good look for him. Again, he doesn't step too far outside his comfort level on the tracks that feature MCs like Chamillionaire and Layzie and Krayzie Bone; "Hurry Up," a theatrical tale of a fast-and-furious sexual encounter that stops with Frankie's fate left in the hands of a jealous ex-con, sticks out most. For the most part, the singer goes with his strengths and delivers another decent album that should at least sustain his loyal following. ~ Andy Kellman minimize