I, Robot
(20th Century Fox)
RELEASE DATE: July 16

Starring: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood

In a world where robots are slaves to their human owners, robophobic cop Will Smith investigates a murder in which a robot is implicated, even though that would mean the ‘bot had violated the supposedly unbreakable Laws of Robotics. Based on the classic short story collection by the granddaddy of sci-fi, Isaac Asimov.

This update of the 60s classic stars Washington and Schreiber as soldiers taken prisoner during the first Gulf War and brainwashed to become psychotic pawns upon their return home. Denzel eventually remembers being brainwashed, so he races against the clock to stop Schreiber (now a powerful politico) before he’s “activated.”

Ten years before Lil Jon (to whom Cheeks bears an almost scary resemblance), the Lost Boyz were making party music that thugs weren’t embarrassed to bob their heads to, but they also cracked the charts with “Renee,” a song about grieving over a loved one. A decade later, not much has changed. Ladies and Ghettomen alternates melancholy dirges (“LB Fam,” which finds Cheeks mourning Freaky Tah over digicoustic guitars) with catchy club anthems (“It’s Alright,” which features cookie-cutter verses but an irresistible singalong chorus). Cheeks’ raspy voice and staccato flow are as distinctive as ever, and his synthesizer-heavy production is surprisingly inventive, with the exception of “Renee 2,” which shamelessly resurrects his 1993 hit. Coupled with his 2003 mutilation of Pete and C.L.’s “T.R.O.Y.,” this proves that Cheeks just doesn’t know when to let the dead rest in peace.
—Marcel Leroux

Tamia
More
(Elektra)

Tamia’s crystal-clear voice tingles on More, a 14-track mix of catchy, up-tempo cuts and sensuous slow jams that hit just about every emotion. R. Kelly and Babyface lend their production genius to this promising follow-up to the singer’s 2000 Elektra debut, A Nu Day. The straightforward “Questions,” written and produced by Kelly, spices things up. The chorus says it all: “Does he love me?/Lost interest?/Is he cheating?” These are questions that any woman who feels her man is trippin’ would ask. Continuing to belt out powerful ballads, Tamia shines on the sexy “Whispers,” which she co-wrote, but it’s her groovy ballad with labelmate Gerald Levert, “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” that’ll really get you all hot and bothered. Other standout tracks include the Jermaine Dupri-produced cut “Still,” about a couple’s everlasting love, and the touching first single, “Officially Missing You,” which may have you longing for a lost love. Simply put, More is plenty.
—Kendra Story