RAPHAEL SAADIQ

– The Way I see It

2008-10-13

RAFAEL SADDIQ HAS BEEN AROUND THE INDUSTRY SINCE THE MID 80’S WITH HIS BROTHERS IN THE R&B GROUP TONI TONE TONY. HE’S WORKED WITH ARTISTS SUCH AS JOSS STONE, ANGIE STONE, D’ANGELO, Q-TIP AND MANY MORE. I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT AT FIRST I FELT THAT THE SONGS ON THIS ALBUM PRETTY MUCH SOUNDED THE SAME AND THE MUSICAL CONCEPTS JUST SEEM SO SIMPLE. THEN I REMEMBERED WHAT THE SOUND WAS BACK IN THE 60’S AND 70’S ON THE R&B SCENE AND THIS ALBUM REPRESENTS WHAT WAS THE BEST OF THAT ERA, JUST GO MUSIC TO LISTEN TO WITH A DIRECT MESSAGE OF WHAT THE SONG IS ALL ABOUT AND PEPPY BEATS MIXED IN WITH A FEW LOVE SONGS. AFTER LISTENING TO THE ALBUM A FEW TIMES I HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS IS A KEEPER AS A CLASSIC “NEO SOUL” ALBUM. RAFAEL REALLY CAPTURED THE SOUND OF THAT ERA AND HE WROTE EVERY PIECE WITH THE HELP OF OTHER WRITERS. TRUE ARTISTRY IS WHEN YOU CAN GO BACK IN TIME AND ACTUALLY RE-CREATE YOUR OWN CHAPTER IN THAT ERA OF MUSIC AND RAFAEL SADDIQ HAS DONE JUST THAT! FROM THE SIMPLE HOOKS AND HARMONIES, TO THE INSTRUMENTATION, I FELT LIKE I WAS WARPED BACK WHEN I WAS A KID IN THE 70’S LISTENING TO MY MOM’S RECORDS. IF YOU THINK THAT YOU’LL GET THE SAME TONI TONE TONY SOUND BEFORE YOU PUT THE CD IN, YOU MAY BE DISAPPOINTED AT FIRST UNTIL YOU CLOSELY LISTEN AND REMEMBER WHAT THE ALBUM WAS TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. RAFAEL ACCOMPLISHED HIS MISSION WITH THIS ALBUM AND IT’S GOOD TO SEE HIM STILL IN THE GAME! – Corey Jones, WYCE intern

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