T-Pain’s latest album, “Thr33 Rings,” opens with an avalanche of ignorance.

In just the first minute and a half, listeners are greeted with 11 utterances of the N-word and multiple expletives.

But fear not — and listen on.

Yes, T-Pain may be lowbrow, even occasionally offensive — but like any good ringmaster, he knows how to entertain. And despite a few missteps, “Thr33 Ringz” gives the best evidence why T-Pain has become the most potent force in music outside of Lil Wayne. And guess what, folks — it has nothing to do with a vocoder.

While T-Pain’s crafty use of Auto-Tune has been so successful it’s been imitated by the likes of Snoop Dogg and Kanye West, reshaping the sound of urban music, the core of T-Pain’s success has more to do with his uncanny ability to create catchy hooks than the electronic amplification of his voice. Past songs like “I’m N Luv [Wit a Stripper]” and “Buy U a Drank” probably would have been hits regardless of the vocoder-effect, thanks to their crafty grooves and T-Pain’s winking humor.

T-Pain’s hitmaking knack is even more evident on “Thr33 Ringz.” “Chopped N Skrewed” is a clever, hilarious synth-groove; “Blowing Up” is a seductive club song boosted by the sexy cooing of Ciara; and “Can’t Believe It,” a hit featuring Lil Wayne, is a slow, sweet jam for the ladies, on which T-Pain’s lays on the charm.

But T-Pain shines the most when he’s injecting a comedic touch, like “Therapy,” a breakup song (with West) that has plenty of hilarious (and unprintable) moments. Much like his label-mate, R. Kelly, T-Pain has a knack for singing about the basest subjects (like the ironic “Long Lap Dance”) in a manner that makes it so appealing you can’t help but sing along.

Not so funny are the skits. Though a couple featuring comedian Eddie Griffin will crack you up, for the most part, they drag down the CD.

The CD’s most disappointing moment comes at the end with “Karaoke,” on which T-Pain slams his imitators; it’s full of anger and easy shots, an unnecessary rant that should have been left in the studio.

SOurce:  Associated Press