The third studio album from St. Louis rapper/singer/songwriter Smino continues his blend of several generations of rap styles, R&B, neo-soul, and even hints of psychedelically bent pop, delivering some of the strongest articulations of his sound to date. Luv 4 Rent draws heavily on a Kendrick Lamar influence for its vocal performances and melodic structuring (the R&B proclivities Lamar started showing on Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City are apparent on songs like "No Ls" and "Settle Down," and Smino even titles a particularly woozy track "Ole Ass Kendrick"), and the album experiments with combining electronic production elements and melodic R&B hooks on tracks like "Modennaminute." Lyrical themes of love, intimacy, and fraught relationships carry the majority of Luv 4 Rent, and Smino adds extra sparkle to his songs with excellent features like a breathless verse provided by J. Cole on the OutKast-modeled single "90 Proof" and Lil Uzi Verts contribution to the summery and feel-good track "Pudgy." ~ TiVo Staff

Rovi