ILLadell Style: Back to Basics
Shout out to Philly! The city of brotherly love is representing the true sound of R&B, thanks to two new artists on the scene who hail from there- Jill Scott and Musiq. So in honor of a return to the soulful roots of R&B, I'm blessing ya'll with a double review - starting with Musiq (pronounced "music").
Po-ten-tial! That's what this brother has. Now don't misinterpret that to mean his CD isn't worth a peep, because it is. What it means is, Musiq's debut project - Aijuswanaseing (I just want to sing)- is a good start and if he keeps it up he'll establish himself as a serious R&B/Soul artist.
One of the reasons I'm being a bit cynical is, I stated something very similiar when Lucy Pearl came out and now they've split (kind of). You just never know who is going to stick around long enough to make a lasting mark - so I approach this review carefully.
But,if this young brother sticks around he'll have a fan in me. Off the top I loved "Just friends," its unique sound and his laid back vocals caught my attention immediately. I don't agree that this track has a D'Angeloesqe sound, it seems very much Musiq's own style.
Now to address this similarity to D'Angelo - yes, there is definitely some D'Angelo influence there - especially on track 11, "L is Gone" - which by the way I'm diggin'. But overall, Musiq doesn't come off as a wannabe. The vibe I'm getting from him is that overall there is a slight similiarity in style, but it isn't a straight rip-off of the Brown Sugar man.
However, when he does resemble D'Angleo its a strong resemblance. On "L is Gone" the instrumental is almost identical to a recent track from D's latest project and the context of the song mocks "Brown Sugar's" love of society's favorite illegal substance. But the lyrics and Musiq's own voice - not nearly as sexy as D'Angelo's - make this song very much his own. Did I say I was diggin' this one? Cause I am.
What I like about Musiq is his dedication to Soul music. In recent interviews he's embraced the genre and seems genuine in his dedication to staying true to the sound. His music bares this out - simple and uncomplicated tracks laced with tight lyrics.
You won't find any outrageous, ear-shocking lyrics or any grandstanding - just the music laid out for you to enjoy. Some of the tracks seem familiar to me, which makes me think some of the beats aren't terribly original - but he added enough of a twist within each track, that the familiarity didn't bother me. For example, I thought the spelling out of the entire hook on "Mary Go Round" was unique and fun.
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