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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This album is underrated in my opinion, May 27, 2009
I am a big Lionel Richie fan with my all time favorite back to front. I can understand how he has has struggled to stay relevant in recent times with some of his recent work wide off the mark. I went into this one with no expectations whatsoever but was very surprised by how good the album was especially when compared to a lot of the current music out there today. There was the old feel to the album yet there is a modern flavor about it. The album might not get the type of appreciation it deserves with the older fans desperately searching for the old Lionel Richie while the younger fans might not give him a chance because he belongs in the past but if you take the album and look at it for what it is, I really think it is a quality album.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a great album!, June 27, 2009
I really wasn't sure what to expect with this new CD, but it is amazing! I heard "Just Go" on the radio and instantly loved it. The title song's carefree chorus features Akon, who I think works very well with Lionel Richie. The song is real unassuming and likable, and it makes for a perfect song to listen to this summer. I thought Lionel's other song with Akon, Nothing Left to Give", was real catchy too. Akon's singing on this song is very similar to his work on Gwen Stefani's song "Sweet Escape".
"Forever and A Day" was very interesting, too. I thought the beginning of the chorus sounded a lot like those old Folder's coffee commercials ("The best part of waking up..." as compared to Lionel's "Girl, your the best part of me...") Whether it was intentional or not, it sure made me remember the song!
"Good Morning" is a beautiful romantic song that is a real joy to listen to. I think it's one of the best on the album. "I'm In Love" is another great song that's enjoyable and sincere without being too loud or complicated. The song's got a great chorus that's a lot of fun to sing along with.
Along the way, there were a few of the songs on here that weren't that memorable, but it doesn't mean they aren't good (for example, "Forever", "Pasttime", and "Think of You"). Even the "worst" song on here is "good", I think.
The highlight of the last half of the album has to be Lionel's duet "Face in the Crowd". I was surprised the song was so upbeat and not slow like "Endless Love", but it worked very well. I hadn't heard of the female singer before, but she did a really good job.
Another surprise was "Somewhere in London", a techno-infused song that is quite dancy. The album ends very well with "Eternity", a beautiful gospel-like song featuring a choir and wonderful message of unity. Great ending.
If you like Lionel Richie and you're an objective music listener, you have to check this CD out. As a young person (23) who appreciates older music and has a limited taste for the modern stuff, this album is perfect. There are very few artists who can pull off something like this, where they remain true to their style while updating it and marketing it to a younger audience. What a wonderful surprise this CD was!
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13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Forget adventurousness and, if you like him, enjoy his familiar sound., May 19, 2009
The CD, which was slated to be released in US last March has been already published in Europe, where it has reached top positions in the POP/R&B charts.
This is his 13th studio album.
For a once-proud Commodore, this sly attempt to add contemporary R&B flavour to his hit-making formula and to mop up a few sales in advance of Mother's Day represents a watershed of sorts.
It has been produced to the lushest AOR standards by an array of expensive talent, including Stargate, Akon, Johnta Austin and The-Dream and finds the 60 year-old Richie in reliably smooth voice, ruminating placidly about love
The album's obligatory party song "Nothing Left to Give" makes its 1983 forebear "All Night Long" sound like Sly and the Family Stone by comparison - while elsewhere, the smooth-voiced Lionel Richie sounds a little like a weedy ghost of his former self, lost amid a murk of biscuit-brittle R&B beats and hateful synthesizers.
His new offering works to a certain degree, both hit single "Just Go" and "Nothing Left To Give" giving a sense of a pleasant listen.
Songs such as "Forever" also have a little urgent edge without breaking Lionel's trademark mould.
Fair enough. That's what he's for, and he's game enough to couch it in crisp electronica on "Somewhere in London" and Afrobeat on "Nothing Left to Give".
The track "Face in The Crowd" is a pretty, sugary mainstream pop ballad, where Richie duets nicely with Dutch songstress Trijntje Oosterhuis, better known as Traincha.
Given the stress of dealing with a troublesome adopted daughter, he must exert iron control over his emotions, though - he's rarely sounded so unruffled.
The rest of the set, however, is on familiar ground and will doubtless delight the legions of loyal housewives and middle-aged romantics.
In the current pop market where acts like Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Celine Dion and American Idols are kings, there will be no surprise if "Just Go" will be a bestseller.
Coming Home
Look of Love: Burt Bacharach Songbook
For Once in My Life: Songs of Stevie Wonder Live
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