Trey Songz continues his steady rise to the top of the R&B charts with Passion, Pain, & Pleasure, his fourth album in five years. R&B and hip-hop may be almost one and the same these days, but with only two songs featuring shared vocal time, Trey pulls his own weight from start to finish.

The album, which he claims is his best yet, can be split into three sections: intimacy, heartbreak, and advice. The slower, more sensual songs like “Love Faces” and “Massage” are well produced and display Trey’s fantastic vocals. Almost every song is about sex, but what makes them all so great is Trey’s knack for describing feelings over blatant sexuality. His gentlemanly lyrics make it easier to sympathize with him when the heartbreak tracks like “Please Return My Call” and “Made to Be Together” inevitably roll around. But instead of feeling sorry for himself, Trey recovers and delivers his most poignant moment in the track “Unfortunate.”

Despite what is otherwise a seamless album, both his rap features are completely unnecessary. Drake’s appearance on “Unusual” falls flat lyrically and is completely forgettable. And if you still aren’t sure if you like Nikki Minaj, listen to her appearance on the club single “Bottoms Up.” I can’t decide if she’s unbearably obnoxious or the most entertaining woman in hip-hop. But at least Trey Songz has all bases covered, which is great news since he considers anything less than third base second rate.