Amazin [Clean]

Recording information: 4 Star Studios, Miami Beach, FL; Chalice Recording Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Doppler Studios, Atlanta, GA; Interscope Studios, Atlanta, GA.
Photographer: Roger Erickson.
Not the "from nuthin' to somethin'" album the opening title track infers, Amazin' is tough rapper Trina cleaning up good, and offering a less filthy effort with plenty of crossover cuts. At 15 tracks, the problems are redundancy and over-stuffing, but the hook-filled highlights and seductive club numbers are plentiful enough that this is a minor annoyance. Best of the lot is the dancehall-fresh cut "Dang a Lang" featuring Lady Saw and Nicki Minaj, but coming in a close second is the ghetto fabulous theme song "Million Dollar Girl," which is as flashy as a Diddy-guesting cut should be. That the ballads are better here than on her previous effort Still da Baddest is even more good news, especially when "On Da Hush" threatens to woo away the most faithful of men with "We be playin' Twister/Hittin' every position". Big names like J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, J.R. Rotem, and Mario Winans help with the beats, while everyone from Lil Wayne to Lyfe Jennings turn up for guest shots. Even if "Bi**s" and "Hoes" still show up on the track list, Trina's dropping of the bad-badder-baddest song title scheme is well-timed as Amazin' is the proper tag for such a successful step toward the bigger and the better. ~ David Jeffries