RUBEN STUDDARD - UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

RUBEN STUDDARD

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

2014

A much as I wished for original recordings,

if Michael Buble and Harry Connick Jr. can

remake the classics, I'm happy that Ruben

has done the same here with this fantastic

selection of songs. While you might have to

get used to some of these melodies being sung 

in this way, it is so damn smooth and a great

arrangement from David Foster who helped

Ruben do what he does best. Sing like an angel.

This album is a must. Thank you mr. Studdard!

Overall Score: 9/10

Sidenote: Nobody has ever done Teddy Pendergrass'
"Close the Door" as good as Montell Jordan did on his debut album.
Montell became a pastor in 2010 leaving the R&B scene,
which besides being a great thing for him and his family,
was a turn of events fro me. R&B would never be the same again.
Montell will always be my favourite alongside Joe & R. Kelly.

Sidenote 2: not to take away from Ruben, but nobody will
ever do "If this world were mine" like Luther Vandross, R.I.P.

TONI BRAXTON & BABYFACE - LOVE MARRIAGE & DIVORCE

TONI BRAXTON & BABYFACE

LOVE, MARRIAGE & DIVORCE

2014

2014 is starting off great here with a collabo from

two RnB legends. I did not see this coming at all.

The idea alone is fantastic though, right?

I have heard the album a couple of times now

and there are some stellar tracks here.

"The D Word" being my favourite so far.

Need to bump and let it soak in some more.

Full Review Coming Soon...

R. KELLY - BLACK PANTIES

R. KELLY

BLACK PANTIES

2013

Forget about how superb R. Kelly was with R. or TP2.com

or Happy People, etc...how can you go from Love Letter,

giving the fans what they want with songs like

"When A Woman Loves" again, to this dread that is so not

like anything the King Of R&B would ever do???

I mean, you're copying cats like Future (which is the biggest

abomination to urban music since Kanye West turned gay).

Auto-tune all over your album??? Singing ABC rhymes???

That is just un-acceptable and down-right a slap in the face

for your fans and yourself as an artist that's suppose to be

the best. There's only one song, "Shut Up" that is

the real R. Kelly. I mean, that is just sad.

I'm all for growing with the times and venturing into

new things (Stepping was so damn awesome), but this

is taking it too far. Remember the awesomeness that was

the performance of the 2010 Soul Train Awards? To this?

I've been shaking my head for weeks now.

I still bought the album, because R. Kelly is the man and

always will be, but he better come correct like with

Love Letter. The new Christmas album and a slew of

other releases (speculation on his behalf?) that will

be all about love-making, should hopefully be it.

But it all depends on the beats and more importantly

the vocal production. We'll see, but please,

give us that TP2.com and R. again. Come on dude.

Overall Score: 3/10

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE - THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE 2

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE 2

2013

Part 2 of JT's 20/20 Experience and just like the first

one this is another great release showcasing JT's talent.

However it just isn't as good. The first one has a bigger emphasis 

on RnB and less pop/dance which this disc has too 

much of in my opinion. Despite this it still is a nice album. 

but it just doesn't have the same lasting appeal.

1. Gimme What I Don't Know 5/5

Loving the hook and melodies on this one.

2. True Blood 3/5

This is not really acceptable as great as the track

might be with it's catchy hook and uptempo feel.

Not a fan of JT's way of singing here either.

3. Cabaret ft. Drake 4.5/5

This is more like it but unfortunately it 

has Drake as a feature which is a no no for me.

4. TKO 5/5

This one is awesome and more like part 1.

5. Take Back The Night 3/5

Brian McKnight has a similar 80s type retro track

on his album but pulls it off way better.

Sometimes I like this one, sometimes I just

want to skip it. I don't know.

6. Murder ft. Jay-Z 3/5

Again, the beat is just not there. Shitty Jay-Z

feature this time and a crap hook. A no no.

7. Drink You Away 4/5

There's just no consistency it seems. This one

seems out of place too after all previous tracks.

Still nice though. 

8. You Got It On 4.5/5

Smooth feel and more RnB the right way

9. Amnesia 5/5

Just like "Mirrors", this is outstanding. Why couldn't

the whole alb be like this? I mean, it was done

for part 1?

10. Only When I Walk Away 3/5

There's just something about this that annoys me.

The snare? JT's vocals? The whole vibe?

Probably a combination of all. Not thrilled here.

11. Not A Bad Thing / Pair Of Wings 5/5

At least the best was saved or last.

These 2 tracks are awesome.

Now, the thing that annoys me the most with this release?

2 of the best tracks were thrown on a bonus disc! Say what?

That just peeves me. "Blindness" & "Electric Lady" should have

been on the alb in favour of like 6-7 tracks from the main disc. 

Not sure who's call that was here. But I hate it.

In the end, this is a nice little album on it's own, if it wasn't

for part 1 that really just shits on this one. Kinda bummed.

Overall Score: 8/10