Soul R&B Hits V.2 [Import]

1. Me & Mrs Jones

2. Young Hearts Run Free

3. Close The Door

4. If You Don't Know Me By Now

5. Slip Away

6. Tracks Of My Tears

7. Have You Seen Her

8. Love Don't Live Here Anymore

9. Sex Machine (Live)

10. Let's Get It On (Live)

11. Lost In Music (Live)

12. Disco Inferno

Soul R&B Hits V.2,Various Artists,Essential,R&B/Soul

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Average customer rating: What I always wanted oldies to sound like. Something Very Different Great CD Refreshing!! If you like winehouse

Back to Black Amy Winehouse Manufacturer: Republic ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Contemporary R&B | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Introducing Joss Stone Alright, Still Corinne Bailey Rae The Reminder Icky Thump ASIN: B000N2G3RY Release Date: 2007-03-13

Tracks:

1. Rehab
2. You Know I'm No Good
3. Me & Mr. Jones
4. Just Friends
5. Back To Black
6. Love Is A Losing Game
7. Tears Dry On Their Own
8. Wake Up Alone
9. Some Unholy War
10. He Can Only Hold Her
11. Bonus Track 1

From Amazon.co.uk

Amy Winehouse's second album, Back to Black, is one of the finest soul albums, British or otherwise, to come out for years. Frank, her first album, was a sparse and stripped-down affair; Back to Black, meanwhile, is neither of these things. This time around, she's taken her inspiration from some of the classic 1960's girl groups like the Supremes and the Shangri-Las, a sound particularly suited to her textured vocal delivery, while adding a contemporary songwriting sensibility. With the help of producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, "Rehab" becomes a gospel-tinged stomp, while the title track (and album highlight) is a heartbreaking musical tribute to Phil Spector, with it's echoey bass drum, rhythmic piano, chimes, saxophone and close harmonies. Best of all, though, is the fact that Back to Black bucks the current trend in R&B by being unabashedly grown-up in both style and content. Winehouse's lyrics deal with relationships from a grown-up perspective, and are honest, direct and, often, complicated: on "You Know I'm No Good", she's unapologetic about her unfaithfulness. But she can also be witty, as on "Me & Mrs Jones" when she berates a boyfriend with "You made me miss the Slick Rick gig". Back to Black is a refreshingly mature soul album, the best of its kind for years. --Ted Kord

Album Description

Hailed by Newsweek Magazine as a cross between Billie Holiday and Lauryn Hill, British soul singer Amy Winehouse's U.S. debut, Back To Black hits the US amid a flurry of accolades, radio and TV buzz unprecedented in recent years for a young siren.

Her brassy mix of emotive vocals tinged with 60's girl-group stylings, sly funk, and anguished jazz, sparked the New York Daily News to crown Back To Black a "marvelous debut that would do Etta James proud" while New Yorker Magazine called her "a fierce English performer whose voice combines the smoky depths of a jazz chanteuse with the heated passion of a soul singer," and Spin Magazine affirming "there's never been A British star quite like her."

Back To Black smolders with a bristling fusion of old school doo-wop/soul inflected uprisings, (the charismatic singer/songwriter wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album) brewing instant classics such as the Shirley Ellis influenced "Rehab," the Supremes tinged title song "Back To Black," the aching "Wake Up Alone," and the album's closer, "Addicted."

Album Details

Ivor Novello Award Winner, Mercury Music Prize and Triple Brit Nominee Amy Winehouse, Follows the Release of her New Single "rehab" and Recent Sell-out Mini-uk Tour, with the Hugely Anticipated Release on October 30th of her New Album "back to Black". On "back to Black", the Follow-up to her Platinum Debut "frank" which Established her as One of the Most Exciting and Challenging Artists in Pop Music, Amy Confirms, Beyond Any Reasonable Or Unreasonable Doubt, What a Truly Remarkable Talent She Is.

Customer Reviews:

What I always wanted oldies to sound like........2007-07-31

Amy Winehouse has realized something that had always been in the back of my mind--I've always liked the sound of 60s R&B, but thought that it was a dead form that would never catch up with harder, contemporary sensibilities--at least without spoofing or just outright covering old songs. She's done it, and done it right--staying true to the sound rather than staying at an arm's length for irony's sake. Is it possible to make a wholly modern record from a retro sound while staying sincere and not mocking the source? Back to Black is proof that you can.

Something Very Different.......2007-07-29

I was in San Francisco , in a cd store of all places..go figure , and they were playing this cd.
At first i thought it was a very old re issue from the 50's Motown era, but when the guy at the counter said it was new and a hot seller i decided to listen.
First i heard Rehab , a pretty fun and amusing way to talk about bad habits..should be Lindsay Lohan's theme song.
Then came You Know I'm No Good, which i totally related to...lol.
Needless to say i went back home to boring Connecticut , and ordered it from Amazon, at half the price!
I have to say while Ms Winehouse is very young, she has a nice singing style that makes you think of 50's Motown and Jazz..and once more she does it pretty well!
Some of the songs have strong lyrics, but are not clearly noticed unless you really listen hard to the track , many are just plain fun , and have a good beat.
My very favorite song on this cd is when Amy slows it way down to do a torchy type ballad called Love Is A Losing Game.. This song is awesome! and Amy's vocals make you melt with feeling!
This young woman is clearly destined for much greater things.
The funny thing is she sounds like a black diva yet she is from the UK, and i was told is quite Jewish!
More power to her i say!
In fact Amy is quite pretty if you can get a glimpse of her without the rats nest hairpiece, gaudy makeup, and one too many tats.
I in no way insult her , but know she would clean up very well as she starts to mature and get beyond the youth oriented market i am sure her label has her set on.
This cd is pretty good and Amy's distinctive style is surely worth a listen!

Great CD.......2007-07-28

Love the music, very blues sounding. Some of the music sounds like it came from other songs, but it's a great make you smile CD.

Refreshing!!.......2007-07-27

Wow, what a refreshing blast bursts from the speakers when you hit play on Amy Winehouse's second disc. Her wonderfully strong, smoke-tinged, Ronnie Spector-channelling voice jumps out at you from the open musical arrangements that frame it. And it's not a contradiction in terms to describe those arrangements as both loose and tight. They are. Like many of those 60s classics, there's an honest organic quality to them but they never feel sloppy. In fact, the whole thing is wonderfully evocative of the classic 60s r'n'b girl groups but Winehouse's lyrical concerns and some of the electronic percussion place it firmly in the here and now. My favorites are You Know I'm No Good and the sensational title track, and Rehab is an irresistible singalong. But the whole thing is a breath of fresh air in the current musical climate.

If you like winehouse.......2007-07-26

You have to like her type of music to like the CD obviously but Id say the best songs on here are the ones youll hear on the radio. The rest of the CD is a little lack luster but good enough to bop along to. Unless you really LOVE winehouse youd probably be better off downloading (legally, ha) "rehab" and "back to black". The remix at the end is pretty cool though.

Average customer rating: Disappointed :( Superb Got a mind full of good intentions and a mouth full of Raisinets be careful with your expectations....... Prince being Prince

Planet Earth Prince Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Funk | R&B | Styles | Music Similar Items: S.S.T./Brand New Orleans 3121 Libertad Absolute Garbage Zeitgeist ASIN: B000RMC7H0 Release Date: 2007-07-24

Tracks:

1. Planet Earth
2. Guitar
3. Somewhere Here On Earth
4. The One U Wanna C
5. Future Baby Mama
6. Mr. Goodnight
7. All The Midnights In The World
8. Chelsea Rodgers
9. Lion Of Judah
10. Resolution

Amazon.com

Because it would be un-Prince-like to release a new studio album without kicking up a little controversy first, the Artist Formerly Known As a Cool-Looking Symbol gave away copies of Planet Earth with a British news tabloid weeks before its U.S. release. Among the reasons he shouldn't have: nobody who catches wind of the peerless funk-rock-soul he lays out on these 10 tracks--least of all longtime fans--would think twice about shelling out for it. A big chunk of the appeal is that Prince finds his way back to his guitar here. The title track, a politically right-on-time environmental rant, steers him back toward "Purple Rain" territory, as does "Lion of Judah" ("Guitar," oddly, doesn't--it's more of a straight-up, shout-it-out modern rocker). And the flirty numbers are seriously flammable: "Somewhere Here on Earth" seduces with a crackly jazz vibe, while "Mr. Goodnight" gets friendly with a refined slip of rap. Coolest of all are two tracks at cross purposes-- "Chelsea Rodgers" fuses funk with disco until it's so far off the hook it's in a heap on the floor, and "All the Midnights in the World" paints a picture of artistic maturity through piano and lyrics that lean hard on positivity. There's an elegance to it that Prince fans, no strangers to pop music that's truly sublime, won't fail to appreciate. --Tammy La Gorce

Album Description

Simply put, Planet Earth is the album longtime Prince fans have been waiting for. Several cuts on this album revisit some of the classic Prince sound the captured fans all over the world and helped deem him an incomparable music icon. Superstar and legendary musician prince kicked off 2007 with a show stopping Super Bowls Half-time performance. Prince pulled out all the stops during the second most-watched super bowl broadcast ever. With an estimated 93.2 million viewers to entertain, Prince wasted no time showing off his stages powers and irrefutable guitar skills. He masterfully captured the attention and respect of music fans in general, while sending a message to long time Prince fans that he was ready to once again reign supreme.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed :(.......2007-07-31

Like another reviewer mentioned, due to critical praises I expected a lot more from Prince's latest CD, but was let down. I like a couple of the songs, but I'm not crazy about them, which for a crazy Prince fan like me, is a big downer. Oh well, thankfully I have all his previous other great stuff to listen to (which I'm doing right now).

Superb.......2007-07-30

This is the best over-all album I've heard of Prince since his ground-breaking 'Purple Rain' quite a few years ago. From the title of the album, I thought it would be an earth theme package but it's anything but - although the title song is a great piece of work in itself. Something on this album for everyone. Some ballads, others racier tunes. Extreme good orchestra rifts with piano, guitars and sax. Any of these selections could be a hit and almost made for FM radio. My favorite album of the year so far.

Got a mind full of good intentions and a mouth full of Raisinets.......2007-07-30

Prior to "Planet Earth," the last Prince album I can say I liked was "Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic." The last two ("3121" and "Musicology") - though obviously both commercial comebacks - did next to nothing for me. They were just more additions to the growing list of disjointed, thrown-together sub-par works that Prince began releasing back in '94 with "Come" (though not including every album after that, just that the good ones were less and less frequent). I distinctly remember how distressing it was for an artist who was responsible for such a long line of carefully crafted albums to expect record buyers to be satisfied with willful sloppiness. Yeah, with "Come" (and others) he was hurrying to get out of his Warner's contract - but all these years after the fact, what matters is the music and not his fued with the label. I continue to maintain that he hasn't released a truly great album since 1992's 'Symbol' album (and even that one was flawed, i.e. Tony M was still on board). And I still say that "The Truth" (i.e. disc 4 of "Crystal Ball") is the closest he's come to that greatness in the years since.

All that said, I'll reiterate: I like this new album. It turned out to be a nice surprise - not a major return to form, but a mostly consistently enjoyable collection of new songs. Are they all new? It's hard to say - I do have trouble believing all the musicians who are credited in the album's sparse (nearly non-existant, truth be told) liner notes turned up for recent sessions. Some of this music was quite possibly in the can for many years - the wildly varying tone, and overall sound, throughout the album supports this idea. Before delving into a song-by-song look, I'll summarize my overall feelings. The focus here seems to be tight, concise pop songwriting. Prince used to break boundaries and take chances with song form, but since those days seem long gone I'm satisfied to hear relatively straightforward songs containing strong melodies and memorable hooks. It's far preferable to the aimlessness of recent sludge like "3121" and "Musicology." I also like hearing so many guitar solos - much more than anything since "Chaos and Disorder" way back in 1995. Throughout "Planet Earth," there are lots of little musical surprises and quirks - unexpected chord changes, unpredictable melodic twists, unusual backing vocal arrangements. No, it's not "Lovesexy" revisited by any means, but it keeps the listener from being bored to tears (like the last couple of albums did).

To be more specific, take the opening - and also title - track. On a musical level, "Planet Earth" sounds very much to me like the Prince of old. The plaintive - though highly dramatic - verses that give way to swelling choruses, ultimately climaxing with a passionate guitar solo: it's a full-fledged epic Prince track (bold move to open the record with what sounds like a big finish). The piano/synth/backing-vocals section midway through sounds the vintage late-80s era. Lyrically, I'm less enthusiastic. Prince didn't used to be so literal when tackling "big issues." Here - not surprisingly, given the title - he deals mainly with the fragility of our ecosystem. Sorry, but no celebrity can escape the hypocrisy charge when lamenting the mistreatment of the atmosphere while simultaneously boasting of private jets traveling the four corners of the globe. Prince, how big is your carbon footprint? In the final verse, he sings about sending off young soldiers to fight a war, asking "If they're blessed to make it home, will they still be poor?" I'm not exactly sure what he's implying about the financial status of the armed forces, but I am a bit confused about something: in this song, and later in the album, the lyrics do get a tad bit political. I was under the impression that Jehovah's Witnesses remain strictly apolitical. How can he include this type of subject matter without violating that belief? I'm not taking any shots at his religion, I'm just genuinely curious about this seeming contradiction.

"Guitar" takes us back to mid-90s NPG, "Undertaker" style. I wouldn't be surprised if that's Michael B kicking it on this rock track. Many have mentioned it - and 'I will follow' their lead (get it?) - the main riff sounds like a certain early U2 song. Once you accept that, the song is a fun rocker with some good solos and a light-hearted lyric (what a relief after the pretentions of the first song's message).

"Somewhere Here On Earth" starts off with a hokey 'scratchy record' sound, apparently signaling it's 'old school' balladry. There's also a bit of cringe-worthiness in the lyric, "In this digital age, you could just page me/I know it's the rage." Um, really? I don't know many people who still carry around pagers - but I guess "You could just text me" didn't rhyme as well. Or it could suggest this song's been in the vault for a few years. That wouldn't be a stretch, as it sounds like it could've been on just about any album from "Around the World In a Day" onward - which I mean in the best way: it's a very good falsetto ballad in the classic Prince mold. A tad overlong, though, at nearly 6 minutes, as no new ideas are introduced to justify the length.

Things get even better with "The One U Wanna C" - a straight-ahead pop tune with a subtle, yet comfortable, countryish twang. Again, this sounds so unlike anything Prince has done in years I can't help but wonder if he pulled it out of the vault. As lightweight as it is, I love everything about it - except for the line "I ain't trying to be a hater" (which is the first of several instances of Prince forcing some 'modern' slang into his lyrics). I do like that he sings "I come like thunder" and "If u wanna get creamy" because it proves that the JW's didn't shut down the innuendo completely.

Uh-oh -- Prince gets all lover-man in "Future Baby Mama" -- and there's another (obvious) example of that 'modern' slang. Building a song around the phrase "baby mama" wasn't a great idea, even if he did break out the Linn for this one (which isn't all that exciting anyway - he was trying to evoke the old days in the exact same way back on "Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic" back in '99!). Still, it ain't an entirely unpleasant sounding song, but it feels very out of place in context of the four songs that preceded it. Maybe the course will be corrected shortly...

...in a word, no. "Mr. Goodnight" sounds like it could've been on ANY "Emancipation"-onward album. It's a sort-of rap song, and I hoped he was done with that kind of thing. Suddenly the vibe of the album has been completely altered, and necessarily in a good way. Not that I don't love the funky R&B that has been Prince's bread and butter his entire career - I most certainly do. But this generic-sounding stuff evokes "New Power Soul" more than "Sign O the Times"...or even "Diamonds & Pearls" for that matter. In fact, songs like "Come On" and "Shoo-Be-Do" from that 1998 disappointment KILL this "Mr. Goodnight" bit of indulgence. Oh well, at least it DOES have the funniest food reference in a Prince song since the immortal "Cap'n Crunch with soy milk."

"All the Midnights In the World" - short, but oh so sweet. My favorite track, and it clocks in at just 2 minutes, 21 seconds. THIS is classic Prince pop: idiosyncratic lyrics, melodically inventive, captivating vocal performance. Can this possibly be a new song? Or is this some lost "Dream Factory"-era track? It's so fantastic I can't really explain it. Who but Prince would include a reference to Zuzu's pedals from "It's a Wonderful Life"? "Amethyst and rubies, crystals and black pearls/I'd trade them all just to spend with you/All the midnights in the world." I don't usually use words like splendiferous, but it truly applies to this gem of a song.

Nowhere to go but down, I guess, after such a natural high - but "Chelsea Rogers" is actually a pretty entertaining dance track nonetheless. It's a funky disco-style song, sung along with a husky-voiced woman (reminded me of Mavis right at the beginning). It doesn't really DO all that much in nearly 6 minutes (one of only three tracks that push past 5 minutes). It's about the same length as the title track, yet unlike that well-structured epic, it wears out it's welcome after the halfway point. I haven't really bothered to figure out if the lyrics, which apparently concern a real-life fashion model, tell a coherent story.

"Lion Of Judah" brings it back to guitar-oriented rock. It's grown on me over repeated listenings, though I'm not sure what he's getting at in the lyrics. Sure sounds like something was on his mind though. A failed relationship, it would seem - one that he didn't want to end, and felt ended in the midst of miscommunication...leaving him seeking some sort of revenge? I don't know really, but I like the guitar playing.

"Resolution" - bouncy up-tempo pop, kinda like a less corny "Graffiti Bridge." Also kinda like the opening track: I like it musically, I'm less wild about the lyrics. It's actually a good bookend - both songs tackle "big issues," albeit in a clumsy way. I really like the melody, the simple arrangement, and especially the backing vocals. But spelling out the world's problems in less than four minutes is a tough order for anyone. Actually, in the final verse ("Love is like a circle, no beginning and no end..") he has the right idea - keep it a bit vague, rather than trying to specifically explain the "main problem" with war (that no one ever wins) and with people (that they never do what they say). In fact, his reasoning is incorrect in both cases, so why bother trying to cover so much ground in one song? Anyway, the lyrics are just too dopey-hippy for me to take seriously - I still enjoy the heck out of the song on a musical/performance level.

I've been listening to the album as I write this. I really have to say: the highest praise I can offer is that every time it ends, I feel like starting it up and listening all over again. I haven't felt that way about a Prince album in far too long. Not because it stands as a truly classic Prince album, but because it's the most tuneful and entertaining album he has released in ten years. And, of course, there's that track 7 that brings joy everytime it rolls around.

be careful with your expectations..............2007-07-30

I made the mistake of reading a few reviews (Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, etc.) prior to buying this CD. I was very excited that the reviews called it a "return to form" and compared it to "Purple Rain" and "Parade" era Prince. Add to this the fact that Wendy and Lisa are part of the band here, and I was definitely looking forward to hearing "Planet Earth." Well now that I have listened to it for several days...there is certainly his usual genius on a few songs, but way too many ballads/slow jams (his most recent CDs seem to have TERRIBLE pacing...i.e., the sequencing of songs sucks)...there is no doubt that "Guitar" is a cool single and that there's a few good funky tunes here, but again, to me I found about half of it to be filler. His crappy songs are still better than most people's gold, but this is not Purple Rain the sequel, or the successor to Parade or Sign o' the Times, etc. Oh well, I will keep holding out hope...and enjoying a few of the songs on here.

Prince being Prince.......2007-07-29

It really is unfair for me to write a review on Prince. I am a long time fan. Critics say it harkens backto his 80's sound. Well, maybe. But it sounds like Price being prince. He lets us know that he still rocks! Planet Earth the title track shows this. His guitar liks can't be beat (as he showed on both the Super Bowl half time show and the jam session on his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame). He gets mellow and shows that he still owns the dance floor on other cuts. Prince does what he wants when he wants as shown by giving the cd away. So people, stop tripping. He's the Purple One!

Average customer rating: Evolution of Robin Thicke Get caught up in the thicke of things Robin Thicke- Greatest CD ever Love it! GREAT MUSIC FROM A GREAT ARTIST

Evolution of Robin Thicke Robin Thicke Manufacturer: Interscope Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Contemporary R&B | R&B | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: A Beautiful World Collaborations Once Again Luvanmusiq Introducing Joss Stone ASIN: B000M8NMV4 Release Date: 2007-02-09

Tracks:

1. Got 2 Be Down
2. Complicated
3. Would That Make U Love Me
4. Lost Without U
5. Ask Myself
6. All Night Long
7. Everything I Can't Have
8. Teach U A Lesson
9. I Need Love
10. Wanna Love U Girl
11. Can U Believe
12. Shooter - Lil' Wayne
13. Cocaine
14. 2 The Sky
15. Lonely World
16. Angels

Amazon.com

R&B with tempo: Justin Timberlake resurrected it, and it's proving way more influential than that other lost commodity--sexy--he claimed to be bringing back in 2006 on FutureSex/LoveSounds. Timberlake is to Robin Thicke what 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys were to a band like O-Town, in fact: he pretty much made it all possible. But even though it took one blue-eyed soulster with a hot look and an achy falsetto to bang down the door for another, Thicke presents a convincing case here that he had the goods to get us grooving all along: Evolution is a classy disc that tiptoes up to its listeners, first with an elegant duet with Faith Evans ("Got 2 Be Down"), next with a slick lament that wouldn't sound out of place on a Boyz II Men disc ("Complicated"), and then with a sweet plea that commands a finger-snap ("Would That Make U Love Me"). By the time we reach the long, sweeping lullaby that is the final track, "Angels," we've also had a taste of Thicke's swaggering side ("I Need Love," "Cocaine"), his hip-hop loving side ("All Night Long" and "Shooter," both with Lil Wayne), and the side that fantasizes about 1950s Latin ballrooms ("Everything I Can't Have," a hot tamale of a number that commands a visual if ever there was one: it's impossible to hear this song without imagining a raven-haired woman with a red rose between her teeth). Despite the range of moods on display, they're all in service to Thicke's inner R&B smoothie, and they all brush up against the ear with something like affection. Hard as it will be for listeners of a certain age to get past knowing that Thicke is the son of Alan Thicke, the actor who did his part to cheese up 1980s TV with the sitcom Growing Pains, they're going to have to: with his fan base swelling by the second, the evolution of Robin Thicke is going to be a deservedly loud one. --Tammy La Gorce

Album Description

NOTE: This deluxe edition features a ringtone of "Lost Without U," an autographed poster, and cell-phone wallpaper.

The Evolution of Robin Thicke is the second solo album from the critically acclaimed, Grammy award winning songwriter and producer of records for such artists as Michael Jackson and Christina Aguilera. The album is a timeless work of art. With a voice of purity, passion and soulfulness, Robin brings to life the stories and emotions of the last two years of his life.

The album is filled with incandescent magic. It is an album that tells the tales of love, loss, temptation, redemption and finding hope when all the odds are against you. "My greatest desire with this album was to write songs that were completely honest and sing them with the emotion I was feeling when I wrote them, so that whoever listens to my music is brought as close to my experiences and life as possible."

Reflective, redemptive, passionate and etched with a soulfulness that is undeniable, The Evolution of Robin Thicke is an imaginative and heart-felt album that you cannot help but be moved by, bob your head to and smile throughout.

FEATURING GUEST APPEARANCES BY Faith Evans, Pharrell, and Lil' Wayne PRODUCTION BY The Neptunes

Customer Reviews:

Evolution of Robin Thicke.......2007-07-30

Arrived when promised and in excellent condition. Best music I have heard in a long time.

Get caught up in the thicke of things.......2007-07-27

Rarely do you find a cd that has every cut worth listening too, worth singing too, worth repeating over and over again.....it is excellent.

Robin Thicke- Greatest CD ever.......2007-07-25

If you haven't purchased this c.d., you're definitely missing out. This is one of those c.d.s that come along every blue moon where you can listen to every track and enjoy it without skipping to the next. His voice is a voice you will definitely fall in love with. He made a great choice by collaborating with Lil' Wayne and Mary J. Blige on a few of the tracks. What I really enjoyed about the c.d. were the tracks with the bass guitar. I've recommended this c.d. to all my friends, and they love it as well. I recently purchased his first album- "A Beautiful World" and it's great as well. Get it now!!!!!!!!

Love it!.......2007-07-20

Well I just received this CD in the mail from Amazon and bought it because I saw Robin Thicke on Good Morning America where he sang "Lost Without You" which I love. The rest of the CD in most cases is excellent - with the exception of one or two songs on it I think it deserves to do very well. I also like the fact that he doesn't only sing falsetto, and he sings in very different styles which really shows his versatility.

GREAT MUSIC FROM A GREAT ARTIST.......2007-07-20

I have been a Robin Thicke fan since I saw the once long haired singer belting out "When I Get You Alone". Another early song to fall in love with is "Stupid Things". I have to admit that when I heard "Shooter" with Lil Wayne, I was not even thinking about getting this CD. I HATE THAT SONG!! But once I heard "Can U Believe", I ordered it, and have been listening to the entire CD everyday now. You won't be dissapointed!! I hope the rest of world learns to love him like I have been doing for a while now.

Average customer rating: We'll never turn back Mavis Staples rules quafable but not transcendent Yes and no Passion and soul

We'll Never Turn Back Mavis Staples Manufacturer: Anti ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Blues | Styles | Music Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Similar Items: West My Name Is Buddy Twelve The Sermon On Exposition Blvd. [Deluxe Limited Edition --- includes 5.1 SACD version and 40 minute DVD of making the record] Sky Blue Sky ASIN: B000MR8SZU Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

1. Down In Mississippi
2. Eyes On The Prize
3. We Shall Not Be Moved
4. In The Mississippi River
5. On My Way
6. This Little Light
7. 99 And 1/2
8. My Own Eyes
9. Turn Me Around
10. We'Ll Never Turn Back
11. I'Ll Be Rested
12. Jesus Is On The Main Line

Amazon.com

As musical activists in the 1960s civil rights movement, the Staple Singers were powerful voices for equality and change. And more than 40 years after Pops's daughter Mavis spent a night in a West Memphis, Arkansas, jail at the behest of a racist cop, she still remembers the terror of the experience, as well as the counsel of Dr. Martin Luther King. That episode is at the centerpiece of "My Own Eyes," one of the most moving offerings on this collection of songs of racial struggle in the '50s and '60s, produced by guitarist Ry Cooder and featuring backing from the original Freedom Singers and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Throughout, the album proves both emotionally chilling and spiritually uplifting. On J.B. Lenoir's "Down in Mississippi" and Marshall Jones's "In the Mississippi River," for example, Cooder makes fine use of pounding percussion and snaky electric guitar to capture the danger and fear inherent in the Deep South at the time, while the title song and "Jesus Is on the Main Line" draw on gospel and the traditional framework of church hymns to promise positive solutions. Staples, who adlibs on several cuts, connecting the injustice of yesterday to the continuing marginalization of blacks in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, remains a remarkable performer, employing a throaty sensuality that rises from a deep well of tremulous emotion. If her album is musically uneven at times, her artistry and strength continue to shine as undimmed beacons. --Alanna Nash

More from Mavis and the Staple Singers

Have a Little Faith	A Piece of the Action	Only for the Lonely
The Best of the Staple Singers	Great Day	The Staple Singers: Greatest Hits

Album Description

From the liner notes, by John Lewis:

When I listen to this music, it takes me back. It takes me back to the red clay hills of Georgia, to the Black Belt of Alabama, and the Delta of Mississippi. It takes me back to the moans and groans and pains of an oppressed people yearning for freedom. It takes me back to the time when hundreds and thousands of us decided we were "sick and tired of being sick and tired," as Fannie Lou Hamer said. It takes me back to the days when ordinary people inspired by a dream decided to quench our hunger and thirst for justice in the fountains of mercy and love.

Back then, some people thought legalized segregation in America would never come to an end. But those of us in the Civil Rights Movement were inspired by a higher calling. And even if it cost us our very lives, "we weren't gone to let nobody turn us `round". We believed that the action of peace, the way of non-violence, and the power of love could overcome our oppression and remind our oppressors of their own humanity. Through the power of this faith our nation witnessed a non-violent revolution of values, a revolution of ideas that changed America forever.

The music you are listening to right now was the soul of that revolution. It was this music that gave us hope when it seemed like all hope was gone. It was the heartbeat of this music and its steady, reassuring message that bound us together as one solid force. So when we were beaten, arrested and jailed; when we stood together on picket lines or marched through the streets of the Deep South; when we faced the guns drawn, the billy clubs and the bullwhips raised; when we were teargassed, trampled by horses, or scattered by fire hoses, it was these songs that lifted us and pushed us to a higher place.

It is my hope that when you hear Mavis Staples, when you hear the Freedom Singers, and the other artists on this CD, that you too will be inspired. I hope this music will help you find the courage to stand up, speak up, and speak out and answer the call of your own conscience. It is my hope that this music will help you see what ordinary people with extraordinary vision can do when they decide they will never turn back.

Rep. John Lewis

Customer Reviews:

We'll never turn back.......2007-07-05

I enjoyed this cd very much. I had listened to the Staples singers years ago and was glad to see Mavis recording again.

Mavis Staples rules.......2007-06-28

This is one fantastic recording. Mavis has a magnificent voice . . . perfect for the songs and full of depth and determination. The musicians notably ry cooder and back up singers are up to the task as well. Mavis let her light shine brightly!!

quafable but not transcendent.......2007-06-27

This is a solid album, similar in tone to the recent retreads by the Blind Boys of Alabama and John Hammond. The historical and emotional baggage it carries help one to listen with a sympathetic ear, and perhaps lend it more pathos than is earned strictly on aesthetic merits.

Yes and no.......2007-06-27

A tribute to the legacy of the Civil Rights movement and the Staple Singers themselves. Doesn't really live up to the hype, though. Mavis has still got the drive and passion, but her voice doesn't have the range and nuance.

Passion and soul.......2007-06-26

Mavis Staples sings with passion and true soul the songs of the Civil Rights movement on "We'll Never Turn Back". The CD has all the sounds of a great Ry Cooder CD too because he did arrangements of many of the songs and he plays on them too. This CD's version of "This Little Light of Mine" shows what can be done respectfully to bring a whole new sound to an old song. This CD really deserves 5 stars.

Average customer rating: One Of the Best Albums of 2007 I AM... AMAZED! What we've all been waiting for I AM IN LOVE WITH I AM! excellent cd

I Am Chrisette Michele Manufacturer: Def Jam ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Contemporary R&B | R&B | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Similar Items: So Much Better Back to Black Sex Love & Pain Ms. Kelly Collaborations ASIN: B000Q364KG Release Date: 2007-06-19

Tracks:

1. Like A Dream
2. Work It Out
3. Best Of Me
4. Your Joy
5. Good Girl
6. Be Ok feat. will.i.am
7. If I Have My Way
8. Mr. Radio
9. Golden
10. Let's Rock
11. Love Is You
12. In This For You
13. Is This The Way Love Feels

Amazon.com

If you didn't get to know Chrisette Michele by way of Jay-Z (she was the one singing sparkling hooks on "Lost Ones") or Nas (she channeled Billie Holiday on "Can't Forget About You"), stop wasting valuable seconds. Though the hype on this pure-voiced, raunch-resistant songstress has her resuscitating a classic jazz sound that rarely infiltrates R&B--comparisons to Lady Day, Nina Simone, and Ella Fitzgerald are mounting--she's more her generation's answer to Erykah Badu: any notes she wraps her lips around come out fresh-sounding, and she adds to the effect with a built-in elegance that's irresistible to R&B and non-R&B fans alike. Hip-hoppers get a custom dose of Michele's magic on "Be O.K.," featuring the flabbergastingly prolific yet still likable Will.i.am, jazz sentimentalists will instantly succumb to "Like a Dream," and anybody with ears on his or her head will warm to the slinky slow jam that is "If I Have My Way." Michele's is a rare talent; count on this outstanding debut propelling her to stratospheric heights. --Tammy La Gorce

Album Description

I Am, her soulful debut album, is an artistic exploration that fuses 24-year old Chrisette Michele's diverse musical interests into a wonderland. "I realize that I'm new to the music world, but I've been preparing for this moment for long time," says the Long Island native. Even before signing a recording contract, Michele had performed on concert bills with more established artists like Kem, India.Arie, Angie Stone, and Lionel Richie. "India saw me singing at the Village Underground in New York City. She came backstage that first night and graciously offered me a gig as her opening act," says Michele. Working hard in the studio writing songs and recording demos, Michele finished an album's worth of material before even trying to get signed. "I've been creating songs since I was 12, so I knew I needed the right musical blend in order to stand out from the many other performers trying to get a deal." Though already a fan of gospel and classical, it wasn't until Michele was 17 that she also developed a passion for jazz. "When I was still in high school a teacher introduced me to jazz singer Astrud Gilberto, and afterwards my life was all about jazz," she remembers. With the release of I Am, Chrisette Michele will soon be sharing those musical dreams with the rest of the world.

Customer Reviews:

One Of the Best Albums of 2007.......2007-07-31

This is what happens when you put Classic R&B, Urban, and Smooth Jazz together in one set. Chrisette has a vocal maturity, that you don't find in artist twice her age. Her voice is controlled, never overburdened, and always pleasant. My favorite songs on the album are, If I have My Way, Best Of Me, Your Joy, Good Girl, Golden, Love Is You, Is This The Way Love Feels, and the last song which is not listed on the cover, I Am One....Add this album to your collection today.......

I AM... AMAZED! .......2007-07-30

Michele's voice is a recarnation of some of my favorite jazz vocalist yet it has her own fingerprint. The message that resonates throughout this cd is love. All love. This is what music is suppose to be like. "I AM" is unique and a album that will never grow old. It moves your spirit in a way that causes you to want to love harder, not just your lover but everything on earth. This is a Cd you need to purchase immediately. I know this is a Grammy wimmer. Buy It, Buy It, Buy It NOW! You won't regret it... that is if you know good music. Feel the jazz, the neo-soul, the gospel, the R&B, feel the I AM of Chrisette Michele.

What we've all been waiting for.......2007-07-28

Chrisette Michele is the TRUTH! I just got this CD from a friend today. Once I put it in, I haven't listened to anything else. She sings about real situations, feelings, and all of the songs are so soulful. It's like she made an album for all kinds of days - when you want to party, when you want to cry, when you want to be sexy, when you're in love, etc. I've just bought tickets to her show in Nashville on August 18. I'm so impressed with this young woman - I only hope she can keep making music that affects the spirit the way this album does.

I AM IN LOVE WITH I AM!.......2007-07-26

I HAVE BEEN IN LOVE WITH CHRISETTE MICHELE'S VOIVE FROM THE TIME I HEARD IT ON "LOST ONES" BY JAY-Z. THIS CD IS CONSTANTLY IN MY HOME AND OUTSIDE OF IT BY NE. MY NINE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER IS ALSO SINGING ALONG NOW! I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS CD TO ANY AND EVERYONE!

excellent cd.......2007-07-26

This was a great 1st cd by her. I am looking forward to her next one.

Average customer rating: Brerakfast in Bed You can't go wrong. News from VT Exactly as advertised Joan O. has got it

Breakfast in Bed Joan Osborne Manufacturer: Time Life Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Contemporary R&B | R&B | Styles | Music Blue-Eyed Soul | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Similar Items: Pretty Little Stranger Courage Are You Listening West Back to Black ASIN: B000O78KZG Release Date: 2007-05-22

Tracks:

1. I've Got To Use My Imagination
2. Ain't No Sunshine
3. Midnight Train To Georgia
4. Baby Is A Butterfly
5. Breakfast In Bed
6. Cream Dream
7. Natural High
8. Heart Of Stone
9. Sara Smile
10. Eliminate The Night
11. Break Up To Make Up
12. I Know What's Goin' On
13. Alone With You
14. Kiss And Say Goodbye
15. Heat Wave
16. What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted

Amazon.com

On Breakfast in Bed, her first release on Time Life Records (yes, that Time Life) Joan Osborne tackles a crop of hand-picked soul and R&B favorites with equal parts sass and sensitivity. Long an underappreciated artist, Osborne is a performer with the wisdom to exercise vocal restraint for an effect that's more Dusty Springfield than Christina Aguilera. Her fine previous outing interpreting soul standards was aptly titled How Sweet It Is, and witness her contribution to the terrific 2002 film Standing in the Shadows of Motown, where Osborne's astute readings of "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" and "Heatwave" outshone performers like Ben Harper and Gerald Levert (happily, both songs are included here). The title track and Hall and Oates' "Sara Smile" are both canny choices that play to her strengths in delivering credible blue-eyed soul, and six new Osborne-penned songs fit neatly into the record. If her compositions pale a bit next to the classics she covers (with the sultry and slithery exception of the excellent "Eliminate the Night"), give Osborne credit for bravely placing herself side-by-side with songwriting luminaries like Holland-Dozier-Holland and Bill Withers. Breakfast in Bed makes for a leisurely listen on a sunny Sunday morning, so put up your feet and stay awhile. --Ben Heege

Album Description

Joan Osbourne's recently recorded album pays homage to the great Soul and R&B songs of the late '60s and early '70s. The album features a unique combination of unforgettable interpretations of timeless R&B classics. Her first single to radio will be "I've Got to Use My Imagination."

Customer Reviews:

Brerakfast in Bed.......2007-07-27

Okay if you like love songs with kind of an R&B rhythm. (which the entire cd is) I love Joan Osborn's other work, but this is not one of them . . . Excellent artist ~ poor song selection.

You can't go wrong........2007-07-25

This intriguing mix cover songs and originals make this a very enjoyable collection, although the covers are not as varied as say Annie Lennox's Medusa but still engaging all the same. The tracks seem to pull you in more and more with each listen. "Baby is a Butterfly", "Sarah Smile" and "Cream Dream" were all particularly absorbing the first time through. The production is very good and clean. Her voice is as mesmerizing and sensual as always. You can't go wrong.

News from VT.......2007-07-24

Since I first heard Spiderweb on the radio before Relish was widely released I knew I was going to like this woman's work. Over the years I've collected pretty much all Joan's recordings including trades of several soundboard live recordings. With Breakfast in Bed Joan delivers again. She's always doing a change up from release to release.
Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers is the only cover ever I've heard that even rates. My sister and I wore Bill's 45 out 2 or 3 times when we were kids. The originals powerful bass line is absent here but Joan's production showcasing drums and of course, her voice makes my memory of Bill's version fade. Joan redefines it without overshadowing it. This is true for many of the covers. The title track I could do without though. Breakfast in Bed was a walk through. A strong cup of coffee....and. Eliminate The Night would work for me as a title tune and an opener. I've Got to Use My Imagination, Midnight Train to Georgia and Sara Smile are renewed and fresh. Heat Wave and What Becomes of the Brokenhearted are repeated from Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Take note of this CD with other Motown covers by Ben Harper, Chaka Khan and Bootsy Collins among others.
Originals Baby Is a Butterfly, Eliminate the Night & I Know What's Goin' On are ones I've heard live before and they have matured.
I'd like to hear a raw & nasty version of Eliminate the Night live. She's playing Concord New Hampshire's Capitol Center for the Arts this November. It's a small venue that's perfect for Joan to showcase her work. Think about getting her Early Recordings CD before you go. If you haven't seen her headline a show in the past and live in New England then take the trek, you won't be disappointed.
I hope she hasn't let Andrew Carrillo get away. Her guitar player on much of her past work has appeared in recent live shows but he's missing here. He joined his brother Frank Carillo & The Bandoleros on their 2005 release Bad Out There. Well worth a listen.
Breakfast in Bed doesn't suffer any though I wonder what's up. He gets my vote for the title "Master of the Telecaster", given to greats Roy Buchanan, Keith Richards, Albert "The Iceman" Collins, Danny Gatton and few others. The "Tele" was the first solid body electric guitar mass produced and while it's design has been copied and modified over the years the standard set-up used by Andrew defined much of Joan's earlier work.
When I hear Joan's new CDs one or two tunes demand notice. Further listens and the whole work becomes seamless.
Joan takes her time between releases. There could be two CDs here. A few more originals could be made into to one CD and the covers working separately as another disc. I don't know if it's production advice, recording contracts or a lack of confidence by Joan on about her own writing but a real Joan Osborne collection hasn't been released since Righteous Love. Relish and Righteous Love mixed in covers but little enough that Joan's own songs made a greater statement. I'm going to make compilations of all her work when I figure out how to use my Ipod.
I have to admit a big bias here. I see Joan Osborne music or concert listings and shell out cash. It's a shame that when I mention Joan I am met with blank looks. Who? Mention What If God Was One Of Us people take note. Really the least important of her work it now sounds like weak pop to me. It may sound as familiar as Stairway to Heaven to many who don't even recognize her name. That song seems to pop up everywhere. If you love this CD and haven't heard others check out her collection. Start with Early Recordings, Relish Righteous Love, or How Sweet It Is.
I do look forward to seeing some more raw, throaty and hard driving music by Joan. But, in 1975 I was listening equally to Carly Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd. My friends thought I was nuts!
Don't miss Breakfast in Bed but, take care of it or buy two you might wear this CD out and end up asking yourself what happened to Bill Withers?

Exactly as advertised.......2007-07-22

As one reviewer noted, this release is somewhat monotone. Still, it's a relaxing and quality release from Joan that my wife really likes. Getting "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" is a bonus.

A couple of the originals are really excellent, stay in your head tunes. I'd say if your having Breakfast in Bed, it works. But it's not an all occasions, "hey check this out" kind of release.

Joan O. has got it.......2007-07-19

I'm becoming a bigger fan of Joan every day. I loved her last album, Pretty Little Stranger, even though it was a bit country for her, and I'm not a country music fan. I'm interested in checking out this collection of her covering pop hits. She does covers well, and her voice is so obviously hers, that even though it might be a song you have heard enough times already in your life, hearing the "Joan" version is always a treat. I'm sorry this is not a review of this album in particular, I do plan to get it soon. I'll let you know then! I'm giving 5 stars based on the Amazon video and audio samples. What I can say is that her previous albums are all great, and her live shows are awesome, especially if you can be lucky enough to see her in a smaller venue.

The first time I saw her was pretty much by accident. I wound up crossing through the front of a very large crowd between acts at a Woodstock reunion in Bethel, NY (not Pepsistock in Saugeraties), in the late 90's. Then Joan and her band came on and I'm front and center and she blew me away with St. Teressa or something like that. I've been a fan ever since.

Average customer rating: Where's the Jazz...? Impressive debut! Elliott's AMAZING Lovely lovely lovely An exceptional debut that grows on you

Elliott Yamin Elliott Yamin Manufacturer: Hickory Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Contemporary R&B | R&B | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Daughtry Katharine McPhee Small Town Girl Introducing Joss Stone Taylor Hicks ASIN: B000N60HD6 Release Date: 2007-03-20

Tracks:

1. Movin On
2. Wait For You
3. Find a Way
4. One Word
5. You Are the One
6. I'm the Man
7. Trainwreck
8. Free
9. Alright
10. Take My Breath Away
11. A Song For You

Amazon.com

Elliott Yamin's debut is so agreeable and well-executed it may well convert hardened R&B experts--the kind who'd normally distance themselves from a disc with a TV pedigree. With sincerity and a voice that vaults itself to places no talent-show contestant should be able to go, Yamin bares his soul here in a way that would do his hero, Donny Hathaway, proud. Tracks like "Take My Breath Away" and "You Are the One" find him twisting a wrench around love-stained lyrics; "I'm the Man" and "Find A Way" flow with hat-in-hand grace (and, in the case of the latter, a scat worthy of a vintage jazz stage); and opener "Movin' On" immortalizes the season five judges'-table words of Paula Abdul: Ellliott Yamin is "one funky white boy." As he proves with this five-star album, he is also among the most gifted artists ever to a turn a stint on the show into a recording career. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

Where's the Jazz...?.......2007-07-30

This is more about my musical preference than Elliott's album. That said, I'm pleased to see that he's being recorded. This is more about the type of music, rather than the quality. I love his voice. Selfishly, I'd like to hear more of him on the "Smooth Jazz" network. So.....I listened to the entire sampler first, and while I consider Elliott to be one of the best vocalists to pass through the Star Search mill, I truly believe that his handlers have yet to fit him into his zone. How can anyone listen to "Moody's Song" from the Season 5 show and album, and not see that Elliott should be showcasing his voice with quality jazz standards. Geeze, I'd love to hear Elliott do an album of Antonio Carlos Jobim. Sorry R&B'ers, but like a few other gifted singers that have passed through the Star Search machine, the material that made their voices soar on the show, the songs that said, "He/She sings this song better than I've heard it sung before...", well, that material doesn't seem to make it to their first commercial offerings? I'm not in the industry, yet I feel that as soon as someone puts Elliott into the same music circle of talent like Al Jarreau, Michael Franks and Bonnie Raitt...(yes, a mixed bag, but so talented), he'll shine as bright as any of today's contemporary smooth or traditional jazz greats. Give this boy the right material.

Impressive debut!.......2007-07-30

I admit it, I watch the show. I've watched it from about mid-way season 1. This is the first time I've felt compelled to write a review. Elliott's voice and genuine feeling captured me, no question. I don't care about his mother (sorry), I don't care about his diabetes, or his deafness (again, sorry--I know other people care about this kind of stuff, but I don't). He has a voice that fills me up!! I don't know a more eloquent way to say it, and for that, I apologize. But, his voice makes me joyous!

Some of the songs on this CD felt a little lacking at first, but just let Elliott overwhelm you with his feeling--and believe me he will. He takes these songs--some of them average, some impressive--he takes them to a different level. He's shown it here, give him better songs, and he will hit them outta the field! Honestly, I can't wait to see what he does next.

Elliott's AMAZING.......2007-07-25

I love it. I have never bought an American Idol record before... I've heard the songs they HAD to put out and hated them. I thought Elliott was so good on American Idol that I thought, like many others, that he should have remained on the show (like Daughtry also should have) but, nonetheless, he was dropped. Much to my shock, while walking through a department store I recently heard a song I loved.. it was "Wait for You" by Elliott. I was floored. He sounds SOOOO wonderful. Now I'm one of his biggest fans. Trust me, his voice just doesn't disappoint. And he's so down-to-earth in interviews and when he sings on shows (like Good Morning America, etc) that you can't do anything but just adore him. It's a great album and I look forward to his future released with great anticipation.

Lovely lovely lovely.......2007-07-21

After I saw him in American Idol, I have been waiting for his CD, and now that it's here, I can't stop listening to it. His voice is very nice and he CAN sing. A good choice if you want nice music.

An exceptional debut that grows on you.......2007-07-20

Elliott Yamin in my opinion probably has the best voice of any of the contestants from AI season 5, even though I liked Chris Daughtry a little better overall, I was pulling big time for them both to be in the finale. Alas neither of them made it, so I was excited to know that Elliott had gotten a record deal, because I was fearful he might not get one since he's not as commercially friendly as some of that season's alums, and it would have been a shame to let his amazing voice go unsigned. All that said however, if I would have reviewed this album three months ago when I first listened to it, I definitely wouldn't have given it a 4/5 stars, it probably would have been more around a 2 to 2.5.

Indeed when I first bought the album and upon the initial listens, I couldn't help but be disappointed that such a great talent had put out a CD that in my opinion was very forgettable, granted I did like a few songs at first, such as the first single "Wait For You" and "Movin On". Thankfully I refused to give up on the album, and after making myself listen to the tracks multiple times I soon realized my initial impressions of the album were pretty off. No this is not a 5 star album or a classic in my opinion (but then again how many debut albums are?), but I now regard it as a very solid r&b/pop album. The tracks on this album really do grow on you, so I just want to stress to fans of Yamin that if they're not crazy about the album at first give it a chance before making your final judgments.

The album is definitely very R&Bish / soulful (who says white men can't have soul right?), but there are also pop influences present on the album. Almost every song is well written, especially such ones as "Find a Way", a modern R&B track about the unfairness of the world, and how love has to find a way in order to cope with it all. "Free" is another lyrical highlight about how we have the freedom to be able to make our dreams realities if we put our mind to it, although it's not one of my favorite songs melody-wise.

Some of my favorite melodies on the album are the mid tempo first single "Wait For You" which mixes R&B and pop, and the soft and soothing "You Are The One", a straight up love ballad. "Train Wreck" is a pure R&B song, and a favorite of mine, where Yamin's voice is in top form as he sings about a relationship thats heading for a "train wreck", and I love the hook of the song. On the other end, I love the upbeat rhythms of "Movin On", which boasts a hand clapping beat that accompanies lyrics about getting tired of waiting for his significant other to decide what she wants, and "movin on" with his life. "Alright" is another upbeat track, that wouldn't feel out of place in a club, the song definitely has a hip/hop vibe to it and to me sounds similar to something Usher would record. It's a great change of pace and another favorite of mine.

Thats another good thing about the album, there really is a variety of appeal on here, "Wait For You" and "You Are the One" for example would be perfect for ac radio or even pop, whereas I could see songs like "Movin On" and "Alright" fitting in on current R&B/Hip Hop stations, the album really has a range of appeal from old to young, Adult Contemporary to R&B. Even commercially the album has potential, "Wait For You" has so far become a top 20 hit on the Billbaord Hot 100, and I don't think its the only song on here capable of making it into that tier of the charts.

But perhaps the best thing about this album, is Yamin's voice itself. Even when I wasn't too into the songs yet, I still loved listening to Yamin's strong soulful voice, which shines on pretty much every track here, and fans of Yamin should enjoy the "A Song For You" cover, which is definitely a showcase for Yamins vocals. Even the tracks I don't really care for such as "I'm the Man" and "Take My Breath Away" are made much better by the voice thats singing them.

So overall I'm pleased with Elliott's debut, it took some time, but the album is one that I'll be listening to for awhile. If Yamin can improve upon his debut and grow more as an artist, he should have a long, bright career ahead. 4/5 stars

My Top 5:
1. Wait For You
2. Alright
3. Train Wreck
4. Find A Way
5. Movin On

Average customer rating: Once Again - John Legend Once Again - John Legend Legend does it - "Once Again" this is a big downstep "Old School" Yeah Right

Once Again John Legend Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Contemporary R&B | R&B | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Similar Items: Get Lifted Corinne Bailey Rae Continuum Not Too Late B'day ASIN: B000HCPWZO Release Date: 2006-10-24

Tracks:

1. Save Room
2. Heaven
3. Stereo
4. Show Me
5. Each Day Gets Better
6. P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)
7. Slow Dance
8. Again
9. Maxine
10. Where Did My Baby Go
11. Maxine's Interlude
12. Another Again
13. Coming Home

Amazon.com

It takes guts, if not outright egomania, to abandon your given surname and adopt a loaded one like Legend, but the former John Stephens must have sensed that loftiness would one day be his calling card: Once Again, the follow-up to the Grammy-gobbling, platinum pile-on that was Get Lifted, surpasses expectations. Not that it bears much relation to its predecessor. Again again trots out a stable of talented, modern-minded producers--Raphael Saadiq, Legend comrade Kanye West, and the unsinkable will.i.am--but it's nowhere near as self-conscious about embracing the old-school as the knowing, R&B edge-skimming Lifted. Don't expect a derivative mash of smudgy, nostalgia-filching sounds, though, because despite its retro leanings, what's in store somehow crackles with currency. Call it neo-retro if you must, but never call it unimaginative: first single "Save Room" coasts, drifts, and floats along a ponderous path spiked by a cool keyboard-y crescendo; second single "Heaven" busts out a big, busy beat over a slow seduction; and a couple of selections--"Each Day Gets Better" and "PDA"--are so bright and twirly they seem custom-made for dizzy love scenes or jaunty, sunny-day skips through the park. Maybe the most unusual track is "Show Me," a rock song that pilfers elements of Hendrix and finds Legend climbing a few octaves to sound, weirdly, like Jeff Buckley, but it works: so slippery is its beat and so affecting are its hope-laced lyrics that, oddness aside, it's among the disc's best. Sandwiched as it is among 14 songs that all sound like future classics, that's saying something. --Tammy La Gorce

More Legendary Music

Get Lifted

Get Lifted/Live at the House of Blues (CD/DVD)

Live at the House of Blues (DVD)

Customer Reviews:

Once Again - John Legend.......2007-07-16

This is one of the sexiest albums I have heard in awhile. It is pure romance and very old school. I love the way he phrases his lyrics and the "old" vibe he has. This is a great album. I love the whole thing. Even the non-romantic ballads pull you in. He is definitely one of the hottest male singers today.

Once Again - John Legend.......2007-07-08

The title song is teriffic and one you will want to hear over & over & over again.

Legend does it - "Once Again".......2007-07-07

Calll it what you will - jazz, crossover, blues fusion - the cuts work and work well. His "Save Room" in particular adds a quiet energy to his body of work and the rest of the album is just as strong. There is depth here, there is thought here, there is music here.

this is a big downstep.......2007-06-24

john legend dissappointed me....this is a not a good album compared to the first one.....maybe 2 tracks are worth buying it...

"Old School" Yeah Right.......2007-06-22

John legend first cd "Get lifted" was a joy to listen to. His second cd "Once again" is "Once is enough already"!. He sounds straned and annoying. The lyrics are not well written, more like very immature. He tries way to hard and you can hear it in his voice. These R&B acts are losing a lot of fans by making stupid music like this and expect us to "Like this crap". All they care about is getting paid. If you want to hear real R&B with raw lyrics listen to Amy winehouse or Corinne Bailey Rae. The difference between R&B Brits and american fake R&B, they sing with emotion, write meaningful lyrics and have great Vocals. American R&B is only in it for our cash and make awful music with no substance. As long as we keep buying music like this. They will continue to make trashy music like this.

Average customer rating: Great Album All Time Favorite Album Right Now! OUTSTANDING !!!! Inspiring Great CD

Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship India.Arie Manufacturer: Motown ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Contemporary R&B | R&B | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music $9.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music R&B | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $9.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Evolution of Robin Thicke Acoustic Soul Voyage to India Corinne Bailey Rae Collaborations ASIN: B000NA2866 Release Date: 2007-02-08

Tracks:

1. Intro: Loving
2. These Eyes
3. Heart of the Matter
4. Good Mourning
5. Private Party
6. There's Hope
7. Living (Interlude)
8. India' Song
9. Wings of Forgiveness
10. Summer - India.Arie, , , Victor Wooten
11. I Am Not My Hair
12. Great Grandmother
13. Better People
14. Outro: Learning
15. I Choose

Amazon.com

Log onto an India.Arie lyrics page and you won't come away expecting an easy-breezy listen--here's an artist, remember, who made a name for herself by declaring her disdain for silicone and Cristal on her 2001 debut. What's consistently a revelation for new recruits to the Arie camp, then, is how good the music makes you feel. No matter how heavy the subject matter (and it still gets heavy--God surfaces in the first verse of "Intro," the prayerful opening song), she delivers it in such a way that it ends up feeling like homespun wisdom--accessible, cloudless, and heartening. Testimony, no minor R&B/soul achievement, is full of such earth-mother moments: "The Heart of the Matter," a cover of the Don Henley song, is what a hug might sound like if it were music; "There's Hope" reminds tunefully that you don't have to pay to smile ("You better thank God for that"); "Private Party" points up the benefits of getting naked before a mirror and liking what you see (impossible as that sounds, it'll seem less so after listening); and "I Am Not My Hair," a sexy thumper featuring Akon, celebrates not the hair, not the skin, but "the soul that lives within." Musically, "Testament" is a testament to the benefits of branching out; in addition to gospel and hip-hop, you'll also find country and pure pop forays here. All of it works, and works wondrously. Arie may be the Oprah of the music world: she's spiritual, she's got her head screwed on straight, and whatever she touches turns to gold. Or at least it ought to. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

Great Album.......2007-07-20

I can't lie, I am more of a hip-hop head than a R&B guy, but I can't front this is a great album. I heard a song from this album playing in someone else's car one day when I was coming from work and had to get it just to see how it was and I love it. This is great chill music. India.Arie is a great artist and deserves alot more acclaim than she already gets from the poetry, jazz club, type of crowd that she normally receives it from. Great overall album.

All Time Favorite Album Right Now!.......2007-07-17

India's lyrics really speak from her soul without any sugar coating or whining. On top of that she is rhythmically and melodically talented. She keeps it real and I love her for that. Very inspirational! I recommend this album to anyone who loves r & b and has been craving some r & b with inspirational, moving lyrics that you can identify with.

OUTSTANDING !!!!.......2007-07-16

I saw this product on Oprah and I took a chance and purchased it. I was not disappointed. Has a great sound and wonderful message for all.

Inspiring.......2007-07-13

This is an awesome CD. Every song is inspirational and uplifting. Whenever I need a lift in spirits, I put it on and it puts me in a good mood.

Great CD.......2007-07-03

Love this CD. It is fun,happy,energizing. Her voice is beautiful. I'm tired of all the new artists sounding alike so it's great to hear some diversity in style and sound. Buy this CD.

Average customer rating: no idea what this is Essential Stevie How high can we rate an artist? Excellent Purchase Great

Stevie Wonder - The Definitive Collection Stevie Wonder Manufacturer: Motown ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Classic R&B | R&B | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music Motown | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music $9.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classic Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music R&B | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $9.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Earth Wind & Fire: Greatest Hits The Definitive Collection Al Green - Greatest Hits The Ultimate Collection Songs in the Key of Life ASIN: B00006JSS8 Release Date: 2002-10-29

Tracks:

1. Fingertips (Part 2)
2. Uptight
3. Hey Love
4. I Was Made To Love Her
5. For Once In My Life
6. My Cherie Amour
7. Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours
8. Superstition
9. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
10. Higher Ground
11. Living For The City
12. You Haven't Done Nothing
13. Boogie On Reggae Woman
14. I Wish
15. Sir Duke
16. Masterblaster (Jammin')
17. That Girl
18. Do I Do
19. I Just Called To Say I Love You
20. Part-Time Lover
21. Overjoyed

Amazon.com

Like the Beatles' The Beatles 1, this rundown of Stevie Wonder chestnuts is merciless in cutting a huge list of classic tracks down to a single disc's worth of the most recognizable. Anyone who's treasured even one or two of these songs and yet never bought a Wonder record will be more than pleased with the acquisition of The Definitive Collection. These records continue to ring with importance and history, but more important, all except two or three remain fresh and capable of surprising even veteran fans. Those listeners may note, though, that Wonder is among the few performers who could release a retrospective containing 15 No. 1 R&B hits and still invite the complaint that the album felt incomplete--not least in explaining how the man transformed himself from a multitalented teenage hitmaker into the funk-pop visionary of Talking Book, Innervisions, and Songs in the Key of Life. --Rickey Wright

Album Details

Compact Selection of Great Early Hits from the Former Boy Wonder of the Keyboard and Resident Genius of Berry Gordy's Motown Records.

Customer Reviews:

no idea what this is.......2007-07-16

some of the songs I had not heard. But my favorite song was on this cd so I purchased it.

Essential Stevie.......2007-07-09

This is the essential collection of Stevie Wonder. This CD provides a great cross section of the many talents of Stevie Wonder from his early days to his experiments with funk and jazz. Nearly every song sounds different in style and form because of the breadth and depth of SW's career. Great addition to the CD collection of you're a Stevie fan and you want a single representation of his fantastic career.

How high can we rate an artist?.......2007-07-01

You know, with Mr. Wonder we reach for superlatives and we slap them down on paper and looking back on it we realize that the meaning of our impression is deeper yet. Listening to this retrospective of his best hits I was dazzled at how many there were, how many I remembered, how many years ago it all started and how the purity just carries on. While there is a substantial pool of anger, resentment and rage amongst African Americans and many choose to vent their spleen in their music, Stevie Wonder chose a different path. Perhaps it is just a reflection of the love in his being, but his music always keeps pointed to a positive message, even when he is lamenting the scourge of ghetto life.

This master musician, singer, songwriter and story teller has no peer who eclipses his place. He has given us funk so hot you just have to get up and gyrate on the floor lest you fall off your chair. He has given us love songs so tender that dozens of other singers have sung them to great acclaim for their own careers. It is not an exaggeration to say that with this genius, his reach has never extended beyond his abilities. They go hand in hand, his ability to manifest his deepest creativity is unimpeded. A person cannot be without this compilation and say that they have surrounded themselves with the best of American Afro funk, jazz and pop. It only remains for us to wait for more music to fill up the already substantial opus that he has created. A greater joy in music is hard to come by. Essential.

Excellent Purchase.......2007-06-27

This CD is good sample of the great Stevie Wonder. The CD worth the amount paid and remind me some nice songs. If you like Steve Wonder buy it!

Great.......2007-06-12

I loved the whole cd ,and think it is worth every penny. I run a dj service and get all kinds of comments on my music. At the last wedding I was told that they had not heard some of the songs in a long time and they loved it. Big D

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