Album Review: Musiq Soulchild - On My Radio

Posted by Mack of Sound-Savvy On 9:54 PM

Artist: Musiq Soulchild
Album: On My Radio
Release Date: 12.9.08

Fans who found themselves slightly disappointed with Musiq Soulchild’s last release will be happy to find that he’s got his mojo back with the release of his 5th album, On My Radio. With each album, Musiq generally keeps things the same, but ventures further from his neo-soul origins into the world of R&B. The songs on this project run the gamut in the R&B arena, from funky bass-heavy numbers, smoothin’ it out with mellow mid-tempos and slowin it all the way down with Musiq’s classic soul touch. It’s a very honest and mature album in terms of content and does justice to represent the true gentlemen.

Like all of his previous projects, this is an album about emotions, sensitivity and honesty from a man’s point of view. The album was kicked off in August with the release of its hip-hop flavored lead single Radio, which I can appreciate for its versatility and variation in sound and feel. The downside (or maybe the upside) with releasing it as a lead single is that it doesn’t accurately represent the remainder of the project, but you can look to cuts like the album’s opener Backagain, and Iwannabe (featuring Damian Marley) to keep the beat moving. For Musiq’s soulful vocal range, less usually tends to be more as proven on Until one of the album’s highlights. While it doesn’t have any over-the-top vocal styling, its smooth delivery is what makes this track easily a fan-favorite. Other standout tracks on this album include the ballad Dearjohn, Someone, and the second single, If U Leave (featuring Mary J. Blige), an amazing track about understanding your mate, although it sounds way too much like Teachme from Musiq’s last album (Luvanmusiq). Someone is definitely one of my favorite joints here, next to Sobeautiful; both cuts are lyrically filled with passion but vocally contrasting, Sobeautiful is delivered flawlessly in Musiq’s rich falsetto over a love-inspired instrumental.

Don’t expect too much of a change in the formula; the sound on this album is very romantic, and fit to suit a mature audience. There are a few songs that are definitely worth keeping in rotation, and there are some that are less memorable. This album is worth the listen, it’s definitely a step up from Musiq’s last release, and is leaps and bounds beyond that Christmas EP released a few months back. I’d like to hear Musiq switch his style up more on the next one though, I kinda liked where he was going with Radio and would like to hear him experiment more with different styles. Still, the soul still flows on this album, which is a lot more than most artists I hear on my radio…

Related Posts:
Video: Musiq and Mary - If U Leave
A Shining Soulstar
Don't Touch My Radio

-Mack-

2 comments and counting...

  1. Eb the Celeb Said,

    Someone is my fav track

    Posted on December 10, 2008 at 4:18 PM

     
  2. Bec Said,

    iwannabe sounded so familiar - no wonder, it is the same music as tlc-unpretty

    Posted on January 1, 2009 at 8:58 AM

     

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