Customer Reviews

Let's Talk About It (Mcup)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I waited a long time for Carl Thomas' sophmore CD and it was well worth the wait. This CD is right up there with his first CD if not better.

I admire that Carl Thomas is a mature artist. I love the content of his songs and his tracks are even better this time around, "My First Love" displays that easily. Mr. Thomas has that old-school flavor to his voice and to his lyrics. He keeps you thinking about courtship and a blossoming relationship and not that "oh, let me just hit it" style. This CD makes me feel like there is hope for loving and nuturing relationships and that some men believe that too.

When I first saw the vidoe for "She Is", I was like when is that CD coming out, I can not wait. I anticipated purchasing this CD for 2 months, but I was actually waiting since his first CD.

If you are looking for a serious CD to listen to, I will suggest that you purchase this one. Don't sleep on Carl Thomas, he has what it takes to last as an artist. He is one artist I feel that is not talked about enough, because some of the public are zzzzzzzzzzzz.....(sleeping). For those you are up on Carl Thomas' game, big up to you, you know good music!!!!

Later!!!!

I remember my brother listing in one of his guides that he's tired of P. Diddy promoting one artist and then leaving the other(s) in the dust. First he promoted Da Band (for some silly reason); then he ignored them and promoted Loon (for some SILLIER reason). Then he apparently ignored Loon and concentrated on Carl Thomas, and I said, "I haven't heard anything about Carl Thomas lately." And I wasn't that excited about that fact either. Not that Carl isn't a talented artist, but it seemed like I was never as interested in him as I should've been. Everyone else loved him; I just liked him. Anyway, I found out that Carl had an album released last month, and I picked it up.

Before I begin to talk about Let's Talk About It, let me first mention that it's a lot different than Emotional was. Meaning, Emotional had mostly slow jams on it; here, the songs are mostly uptempo (or midtempo). So if you're still looking for the smoother Carl Thomas, you may not like this album. But there are still some good songs on here, like "Anything" and "Make It Alright". Carl even sounds good when he's working with Just Blaze on "My First Love".

However, like with most Bad Boy albums, there are some filler songs that slide in (yes, even on a Carl Thomas album). Such songs include "But Me" and "Work It Out". And one song that doesn't work well at all is, surprisingly, a slow jam: "Rebound" finds Carl going off-key at times and dragging on notes during the chorus. And speaking of "dragging on", that's exactly what the song does, clocking in at close to seven minutes (which wouldn't be a problem if the song was better).

"She Is", featuring LL Cool J (although I don't remember hearing him in the song), is decent, although it sort of sounds like Allure's "No Question" (also featuring LL Cool J). The rest of the songs are okay; not garbage, not classic, but okay. This album may be considered a disappointment for fans still longing for the sound found on Emotional (but come on, it's been four years), but Let's Talk About It is still worth talking about, as it has enough good moments to make it worth your while.

Anthony Rupert

Now, here's a record I've been eagerly anticipating. Carl Thomas released in 2000 his debut "Emotional," a winning hip hop soul soundtrack to male heartbreak that lived up to its title very well. It spawned a few hits, peaked into the Top Ten of Billboard's album chart, and soon thereafter Thomas vanished from the spotlight for an extended period of time. While the followup "Let's Talk About It" doesn't match the greatness of its predecessor, it's still an overall solid offering that will please fans who have been waiting four years for this album. There are enough worthwhile moments to make "Let's Talk About It" one of the best r&b records of the spring with smooth ballads like "Work it Out," "All You've Given," and the oh-so tender "The Baby Maker." But Thomas also holds his own on the more uptempo tracks like his collaboration with LL Cool J "She Is" and "Make it Alright." If I'm mildly disappointed in this record, it's because there's nothing here that matches the urgency or raw feeling of his brilliant earlier hits "Emotional" and "I Wish." But don't let that stop you from picking this record up. Carl Thomas is one of the few modern male r&b singers that rises above the formula, offering street smart jams that sound fresh while paying respect to old school influences. Grade: B+

This is mid-tempo heaven. I cannot stop playing this album. This is a driving album. The type of album that makes you forget that you have been in your car for hours and your tired. Carl's voice is so conforting on this album and Puffy's production is golden. But then again no matter what you think of Puffy, he has great taste in music and clothing. I would definitely say that this is the best album by a male vocalist in a few years. I applaud him for not trying to tackle to many different styles on this effort. This album is all about soul. I can't imagine any R&B fan that would not enjoy this album. I played it at a party I hosted last week and for about an hour all I heard was "who is this?" and "Is that still Carl Thomas?" At one point, everyone at three seperate card tables was swaying back and forth quietly and all you could hear was Carl Thomas ... and that is a miracle in worlds of spades. I must admit there are no cuts like "Summer Rain", but "Rebound" is a hurting song about being the brother on the rebound which uses a kind of echo technique to make listeners feel the pain of the song. This is a lover's album. This is an album about fiathfulness, second chances and good old fashion romance. Think early Donny Hathaway, Sam Cooke, Babyface, Kieth Sweat (first album), etc... PLease pick up this album. It would be a shame for this album not to go platinum. This is on par with the mixtapes you made back in college when you had a special date, but without all the stops and starts on the tape deck.

Those that aren't feeling Carl's latest effort and weren't feeling his first are probably regular 106 and Park viewers with no taste or appreciation for real music. "Emotional" was a classic from beginning to end. With that being said, I'm glad Carl switched it up a little this go round by adding a few more up-tempo joints to the album (i.e., "Anything" and "My First Love" - the latter of which has been in heavy rotation on my cd player.) "All You've Given" and "Let Me Know" are incredibly beautiful ballads as well. My all time favorite on "Let's Talk About It" has to be "Rebound" though. Yes, the storyline is a little melancholy but his vocals are strong and the song evokes so much emotion. It's Carl at his best. It's a shame this brother hasn't attained the kind of success he so rightfully deserves, but in a time when people's personal lives overshadow their talent (or the lack thereof) it doesn't surprise me. For those that may not have felt the cd the first listen I suggest giving it another try and by all means, STOP comparing it to "Emotional." We complain about artists being so cookie-cutter and unimaginative yet the minute one steps outside of their comfort zone - or rather our comfort zone - we question why the album isn't entirely reminiscent of the artists' previous efforts. Music lovers, lovers in general, will truly appreciate "Let's Talk About It" be it for the album's ability to have you groovin' or gettin' your groove on, and Carl for his musical genius.

It's always tough for an artist to follow a high quality, top selling classic release like "Emotional," Carl Thomas's debut album. "Let's Talk About It" does a pretty damn good job of accomplishing such a feat. There are quite a few exceptional tracks on this album, including "My First Love," "Make It Alright" and "Let Me Know" which all demonstrate Carl's ability to add emotion to every song he sings on. "She Is" feat. LL Cool J didn't need to be put on the album or released as a single. The sample on the track has been used so many times by rappers and R&B artists and it was not a unique song. "P. Diddy" and others' production didn't make the album as a whole sound as "old" as Emotional which will draw some of Carl's fans from the first album away. However, there are quite a few tracks that are definately "classic" like "The Baby Maker" and "All You've Given." Carl could have held out more notes and "broke out" more to show his true vocal range on more songs. He did do it on enough songs to make this release "good quality." I am in the middle on the "poetry/rapping" he used on his first album as well as this one. It is probably not needed but it is "artistic." Carl, keep up the good work, just don't let the A&Rs, Producers and Executives around you change your musical direction. Keep recording quality music that can last for years to come.

Carl Thomas made his mark on the music scene back in 2001 with the pleasantly wistful track, 'I Wish'. His entire debut album Emotions was a classic. And while Let's Talk About It falls short of the mark (to many people's chagrin), he still manages to serve up a delicious piece of conversation. There are a lot of highlights on this album, including the second single 'Make It Alright', where Carl seductively sings every woman's fantasy. My personal favorite on the album is 'The Baby Maker', which is exactly that! It is reminiscent of the sound of Marvin Gaye. Other standouts include the Just Blaze produced 'My First Love', a happy ditty of a song that is a different direction for Carl, the sweet memoir 'Dreamer', the soaring vow of love 'Promise', the sing along melody of 'But Me', the bittersweet 'The Last Time', and the seductively sexy 'Work It Out'. One song I'm still not sure about is 'Rebound', which starts out beautifully but the melody gets a bit strange. Carl's shortcomings come through on 'She Is' (in which LL Cool J guest raps *gag me*) and the bland 'Anything', both below Carl's standards. Carl is a mature and experienced vocalist, and these teenybopper beats do nothing for his beautiful voice. Why these were even included on the album I do not know. If Carl wants to showcase his voice on fast songs he needs an interesting beat that compliments it, like he did on 'My First Love'. Overall, although there are stumbles here and there, this album contains more than enough highlights to make it worth the money. It's no Emotional, but it has its moments and will earn its place in your CD rotation.

I have been awaiting this follow up!!!! And I'm happy it's here!!! I think "Emotional" and "Let's Talk About It" are on two different levels. They show us different sides of CT. I LOVE THIS CD as I love the first one!! This CD is so relaxing! Helps you unwind and takes you deep into the sounds of R&B Music!

The album is great. i have always admired carl thomos's smooth introverted behaviour, and now he paints his character all over the album. The album is smooth, it makes it seem like it is raining out side. songs like " Rebound" is like a mixture of sade and marvin gaye. This is an album to keep, no arguments.

Like many others who have been waiting for Carl Thomas to release new music, I was a little concerned with what to expect. Carl's debut was nothing less than a stellar effort. One that will have many music listeners of Carl compare anything he ever does. Carl falls into the category that many before him fall, Keith Sweats "Make it last forever", and a few others that had stellar first efforts. I must admit when i first listened to his newest effort I wasn't impressed. I wanted "Emotional" and also I had bought two other cd's which makes it hard to focus on one sound. But I got a chance to sit down and just relax with Carl and feel his vibe. Having listened to the whole cd I decided that I liked it very much. More midtempo this time around but in particular I believe the latter half of the cd really shines. "Make it Alright" the second single produced by Mike City (brandy's full moon, and Dave hollister's one woman man)and has a nice vibe and should have been his first single instead of what i call in my opinion a lackluster first single with "She Is". "Let me Know" is a great song with influences of Sting. "Rebound" has a beautiful singing style reminiscent to songs from Emotional. "That's what you are" is a great interlude that should be a song, clocking in at 2:19 he could have added 40 seconds to that and made it a full length song.

Good songs on this new effort and although not Emotional it is Carl Thomas. What makes this work is Carl's voice. Carl sings with such passion and emotion that even the dullest of songs like "She is" can still sound good. Its that pleading and earnestness that we got the first time around that we want. Well its here on "Let's talk about it".