POP/ROCK: T-Pain, "Revolver" (Nappy Boy/RCA)

By emphasizing the "evolve" in "revolver," T-Pain, the king of Auto-Tune and juvenile party songs, apparently wants us to think he's a mature romantic, too. That's hard to buy given that he rarely shows heart and doesn't even sound human.

Nevertheless, here comes "Revolver" (stylized as "rEVOLVEr"), his first collection of songs in a few years. His modulated vocals often sound as unnatural as ever, sometimes to the point of irritation, and his shtick feels dated. It doesn't help that his crass hedonism borders on offensiveness and some of his songs have no style -- not even compared to other modulated-vocal, crassly hedonistic songs in the hip-hop/pop/dance realm.

T-Pain's would-be electronic spin on sensual R&B, "Sho-Time (Pleasure Thang)," is creepy; his celebration of excessive drinking, "Bottlez" (where he warbles, "So drunk I can't even see your face"), isn't fun; and his attempt at sly naughtiness on "Rock Bottom" ("When you climb on top of me, I hit rock bottom") is undermined by his abrasive, overprocessed vocals.

Still, there are times when it comes together -- as on bossy closer "Turn All the Lights On" (featuring Akon) and the pounding "It's Not You (It's Me)" (featuring Pitbull), where T-Pain celebrates his bad-boy ways.

And to be fair, T-Pain's earnest-lover persona that emerges on latter tracks is an admirable effort, if not fully convincing. In a startling about-face to the previous 10 tracks, he presents himself as vulnerable on "Drowning Again" (featuring One Chance), and he's overwrought with emotion on "When I Come Home" (key line: "I want you here when I come home").

His sincerity might be suspect, but at least there are signs T-Pain actually is evolving.

  • CHUCK CAMPBELL, SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE

POP/ROCK: Hot Chelle Rae, "Whatever" (RCA)

Have you looked at today's mall-punk scene and thought "Hmm, what this subculture really needs is its own Jimmy Buffet?" Meet Hot Chelle Rae, the quartet of Nashville music-biz scions who are responsible for the fact that right now you are singing their ubiquitous piano-skeeze single "Tonight Tonight."

Suburban kids need decadent, parents-on-vacation house-party bangers, but where something like Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A." had a bit of storytelling in its youthful hedonism, "Whatever" just feels smug. Singer Ryan Keith Follese's nasal catcalling makes references to girls being "California dimes" feel creepy. Product placements for iPhones and Skype abound, while the title track suggests to those with crushing student debt that "Hey, hey, life ain't fair." You have to ask if the tween sector of the 1 percent just found their house band.

  • AUGUST BROWN, LOS ANGELES TIMES