Customer Reviews

Love Behind The Melody

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sophomore album for Raheem Devaughn is just as good if not better than the first album. The album just like the first displays the vocals of the very talented raheem devaughn over some very good tracks. Track by track he displays his love and respect for women. It is good to hear an adult album amongst the slew of albums that have been released by teenagers lately. The only song on the album I didn't care for is FRIDAY (SHUT DOWN THE CLUB). Its not a bad song, it just doesn't really fit in on this album. All the other songs are bangers. Some of my go to songs are DESIRE, EMPTY, and MARATHON featuring Floetry. This album is dope don't sleep!!!!!

I was introduced to Raheem DeVaughn when I heard the song "Guess Who Loves You More". The song sampled the classic Earth, Wind & Fire track "Can't Hide Love" and the song quickly became one of my favorites in the year 2004. I was anticipating the release of Raheem's debut CD but the project kept getting pushed back. I finally heard another track "Believe", which was a nice slow jam and finally in 2005 we were blessed with Raheem DeVaughn debut CD entitled The Love Experience. The title track instantly became my favorite track as Raheem went through the experiences in his life when he did people wrong and people did him wrong when the word love became involved. Since, he had personal experiences to be able to relate to, he had a better understanding of what love was. My other favorite tracks ended up being "You", "Breathe", "Where I Stand", "Ask Yourself" and "Who". This CD remained in heavy rotation for awhile and I was definitely looking forward to see what the future held for Raheem DeVaughn.

I began to hear a track from Raheem entitled "Woman" and I was glad to hear that the track was the 1st single from his new CD entitled "Love Behind The Melody". Raheem's dedication to every grandmother, mother, sister and baby mama across the world was produced by Carl "Chucky" Thompson who produced Emily King's East Side Story that was released last year. If you do not have Emily's CD you should definitely pick that up. It's one of my favorite r&b releases from 2007.

"Love Behind The Melody" was released on January 15, 2008. After the 1st single, Raheem gives us "Love Drug" which was produced by Scott Storch. This track doesn't sound like anything that he has produced before and Raheem is able to tell us about how he and his partner are addicted to each other's lovin'. "Energy" features Big Boi from Outkast and Scott Storch returns to produce an uptempo banger. "Energy" will end up sounding like the uptempo version of "Love Drug" but Raheem's voice and Big Boi's rap will definitely keep you on the dance floor for a little over 3 minutes. Now as a r&b fan, there are certain songs that you don't try to remake or to sample. Well, Kwame, yes that same Kwame from his polka dot days when he had "The Rhyhtm", samples The Temptations' "My Girl" to make "Friday". The production is the best part of the song as Raheem definitely violates with "I guess you'll say what can make me feel this way, Friday!, Friday!, Friday!". Then he proceeds to want to "Shut the club down". Make sure that you just skip this track when you listen to this CD. "Customer" is decent but compared to the rest of the slow jams on "Love Behind The Melody" it seems as if Raheem was doing some major reaching on this track. "You can have it your way, you're the customer". "You can have me supersized, with some lovin' on the side". No thanks Raheem. However, things get much better on "Mo Better". Once you hear this track, you will immediately forget about the missteps on "Friday" and "Customer". Irregardless of how his life is going Raheem is just thankful to have his "baby" in his life. Jack Splash does a nice job on the production and this is clearly my favorite track on "Love Behind The Melody". Malik Yusef does a nice spoken word rap on "Woman I Desire" and sets up the next track rather nicely. Malik Yusef was featured with Common & Kanye West on "Would You Like To Ride", which was featured on the Coach Carter soundtrack. "Desire" is another nice track as Raheem wants a particular woman to stop teasing him and playing games as his longing for her is getting to a point where he can no longer wait to be with her. "Marathon" features Floetry as the hits just keep on coming. Marsha Ambrosius is simply phenominal on this track as she and Raheem go back and forth to sing some sweet, sensual lyrics. "Butterflies" goes back to "The Love Experience" as the song sounds just like a track that would have been on Raheem's debut. This song had to grow on me, but I feel that you will be impressed with the track after a few listens. "She's Not You" has Raheem in a situation where he has the right woman in his life and he knows that, but he is saying that should he decide to stray, get another woman's phone number or if he even decides to be with another woman, that no woman could compare to his #1 lady. "Can We Try Again?" is an interlude that sets up "Try Again" pretty good as Raheem is trying to get a woman back in his life that he did wrong. He realizes his mistakes and he is willing to do whatever it takes to get this woman back. Mark Batson, who did some production on Anthony Hamilton's "Ain't Nobody Worryin'" does a nice job on the midtempo "Try Again". The infamous slow jam man Bryan Michael Cox produces another one of my favorites in "Energy". Soon I will have to pass a law that says no r&b CD can be released without atleast one slow jam from Bryan Michael Cox. Check his resume, he has the slow jam down to a science. Raheem speaks about a woman who his so special that your life wouldn't be anything without this particular special lady in their life. I can definitely can relate to this song. "Four Letter Word" ends things on a good note as Raheem has another track to let us know how love has him feeling.

If you purchased "Love Behind The Melody" from Circuit City then you were blessed with the bonus track, "Some Kind Of Way". Some woman must have Raheem "wide open"..lol as Raheem feels like a king on a throne, with this woman on his arm. Other than "Friday" and "Customer", Raheem has blessed us with a nice r&b CD to start 2008 out right. Some fans of "The Love Experience" may be disappointed because this CD does have more of a r&b sound to it but the majority of the fans of Raheem's debut will have "Love Behind The Melody" in heavy rotation just like I do at the present time. If you enjoyed "The Love Experience" then you'll also enjoy "Love Behind The Melody".

James' Top 5

1) Mo Better
2) Empty
3) Marathon w/Floetry
4) Woman
5) Desire

Honorable Mention:

Try Again
Energy w/Big Boi
Love Drug
Butterflies
Four Letter Word
Some Kind Of Way (Bonus Track)

After the releases of "The Love Experience" and "Love Behind the Melody", Raheem DeVaughn hasn't a thing to prove to anyone. He is a very talented vocalist and his lyrics are definitely among the best when comparing them to his male contemporaries. His words will keep a smile on your face. He says things that will make a woman's heart skip beats. "Love Behind the Melody" is such an impressive album, I can't decide which is better between it and his amazing "The Love Experience." I would say that this one is more consistent than his first, so it has the upper hand. "Love Behind the Melody" is inundated with ballads and mid-tempos with lots of piano and drum, lots of sincerity, all the work of a seemingly sincere and mellow gentleman.

I'm a sucker for live instrumentation, and this album has much of that! "Love Drug" has crafty lyrics as well as some talented individuals on the instruments. "Friday (Shut the Club Down)" samples The Temptation's hit "My Girl." I had a great time listening to this song, especially the parts where DeVaughn apes the Temps. "Desire" and "Marathon" have somewhat eerie production, but are remotely enjoyable nonetheless. "Marathon" features two incredibly talented women, Floetry! Their collaboration with DeVaughn is alright, but with all this talent in one studio, a better result surely could have been birthed. Oh, well. "Four Letter Word" is one of the more memorable moments on this LP. I particularly reveled in the melody; it is nothing short of fantastic! Also, this album's production is all kind of similar, but this song is very different than the rest of the album. It is imperative that everyone pay special attention to the lyrics on the phenomenal song, "Woman." This is easily one of the best songs dedicated to women in decades. DeVaughn repeatedly thanks women for all they do, but I want to thank him as well for acknowledging us!

I predict that this will be one of the best releases of the year 2008, hence the 5 star rating I granted it. He really gave his all, and the finished product proves that he can go toe to toe with each and every one of his male contemporaries. "Love Behind the Melody" will be a compliment to your music collection.

Mikeisha's Top 5

1. "Woman I Desire"
2. "Customer"
3. "Love Drug"
4. "Four Letter Word"
5. "Woman"

Yes. Yes. Lightening seems to be the only word I can associate with the great Raheem Devaughn. Since I've bought the cd I've had nothing but awe strike me just as lightening has. As good as the first one, fine tuned, and full of soul and thats saying a whole lot. Great Follow up album Mr.Devaughn. Since This review is a little premature considering the fact that I just purchased the album a couple of hours ago. Yes I love this album but..... Just like "Sweet tooth", " "Friday", leaves a lot to be desired, but all in all a winner. I can't seem to say enough about this man and his seemingly flawless music writing so I will let the album speak for itself. Again Good Work and I hope to see you and your twentith album someday.

One listen to Love Behind The Melody & you'll understand why Raheem is R&B's best kept secret. He has crafted a musical masterpiece that gives new hope to people who feel that R&B has taken a nose dive due to teenage pop and Vocoders (T-Pain) or just total lack of focus from the artist (R. Kelly). He even managed to get the possible "last" song from the original Floetry! The only flaws I see are the Friday song & the fact that I would've enjoyed more full songs instead of interludes but they also set the scene for the next song to come. This album is clearly for the ladies but it also serves as a helpful tool for the fellas who have trouble expressing themselves, "She's Not You & Mo' Better" provide those tools! If you haven't heard The Love Experience pick it up & Play both in rotation and you'll hear great music and the new heir to the throne!....R. KELLY WATCH YOUR BACK! REAL R&B IS BACK!!!

Top 5 Fav's
1. Mo' Better
2. She's Not You
3. Marathon
4. Desire
5. Love Drug

Contrary to most of the reviews, I thought that "Love Behind the Melody" was better than "The Love Experience." As a huge neo-soul fan, I think that Raheem Devaughn is one of the most sincere, hungry, and soulful neo-soul artists in the game right now. His talent really shows on this new cd. With timeless classics such as: "Desire", "Marathon", and "Empty" he truly outdoes himself. These songs speak for themself. The interludes are even amazing, especially "Midnight" and "Woman I Desire." Unfortunately, there are a few songs that I can afford to skip over like "Mo Better" (maybe it's because it's over 7 minutes long!) and "Four Letter Word" but maybe other people actually enjoy them. The other tracks on this cd are amazing, which makes this cd a classic. I truly adore Raheem's music and have met him when he came to NJ. His next album REALLY needs to include "Prototype" and "Text Messages."

Kim's Top 5 Tracks:
1. Midnight (Have you heard this backwards??? Its amazing!!!)
2. Marathon
3. Desire
4. Woman I Desire
5. Customer

Raheem DeVaughn's sophomore disc "Love behind the melody" debuted at #5 on Billboard, and got a Grammy nomination for the lead off single, "Woman" (a lovely anthemic midtempo ode to women with a sparse bassline), well deserved success after his critically acclaimed but largely overlooked debut.

Raheem is the latest in a long line of Neo Soul crooners like Maxwell, D'Angelo, John Legend and Musiq Soulchild who owe a lot to Marvin Gaye and seventies Stevie Wonder.

If you like live instrumentation, a breezy soul sound, and layered harmonies, then this is for you; The lovely "Love drug" being a fine example. Other standouts are the woozy echoey Gaye-like intro "Midnight" which segues seamlessly into the beautiful "Marathon" featuring UK soulstresses Floetry and some awesome vocal layering (they can both be considered one song as they are musically identical), the stunning "She's not you" (excellent vocals oscillating between falsetto and full vocals), and the lovely John Legend sounding piano intro "Can we try again" (with excellent vocal layering in the background) which segues into the more upbeat "Try again" (with nice horns and a skittery beat). "Customer" is a more contemporary sounding ballad, while the 7 minute plus "Mo better" is pure classic seventies soul, even featuring a spoken section. The instrumentation (piano, guitars, rolling percussion and horns) is really intricately layered. "Woman I desire" is poetry set to a semi hip hop back drop, wouldn't sound out of place on a Jill Scott or Floetry CD.

Quiet storm isn't all he does though. Upping the tempo are the aptly titled "Energy" (with a throbbing bassline, swathing strings, soothing harmonies, and a rap from Outkast's Big Boi), the retro sounding "Friday (Shut the club down)" (which samples the riff and chorus of The Temptation's hit "My girl"), and the horn sprinkled Motown sounding "Butterflies" (dreamy and nice).

Anytime one begins to lament about the current state of music, a stunning CD like this comes along to restore one's faith in the power of good music. Here's hoping for more success for raheem.

Raheem DeVaughn's The Love Experience was one of my more interesting buys of 2005. It was no runaway hit but it showed a lot of promise; the man showed originality, individuality and great talent, so much so that he immediately made it onto my of 'Unsung Heroes' list.

This sophomore release is much better than his debut, at least musically. It leaves a little to be desired lyrically from where I'm sitting, as DeVaughn seems very limited indeed in terms of subject matter. All he sings about is sex, (dressed up as love, of course) and more sex with a bit of clubbing thrown in for variety. The only exception to this rule is "Woman", his lead single, which is a very respectable and heartfelt ode to, well, women. It's earned DeVaughn a Grammy nomination in the "best male r&b vocal performance" category. I say it deserves the accolade.

But don't get me wrong; it's a great album to listen to and the quality of his music & vocals negates the facileness of his lyrics. He's definitely more soul than r&b in my opinion (though he describes himself as "the r&b hippy, neo-soul rock star" on the intro, "Hello Love...").

Favourite tracks of mine like "Woman", "Energy", which features a couple of rhymes from OutKast's Big Boi, "Friday (Shut The Club Down)", "Mo Better", "Desire", "Midnight", "Marathon" featuring Floetry (whatever happened to them?), "Butterflies" (no, not the same tune Floetry wrote for Michael Jackson), "She's Not You" and "Four Letter Word" (my overall favourite song), not to mention stellar production from the likes of Kenny Dope, Carl "Chucky" Thompson, Scott Storch, KWAMÉ, Ivan "Orthodox" Barias & Carvin "Ransum" Haggins, Mark Baston, One up Entertainment, Bryan-Michael Cox, Blaq Smurph and Jack Splash, should ensure more people get to hear about this album than did the last one. It IS a long list of producers but their tunes actually sit comfortably next to each other.

There's also plenty of live instrumentation on offer here. Lovers of music by people like Marvin Gaye, D'Angelo, Anthony Hamilton and Maxwell - just to name a few - will probably love this album. It's officially my first best buy of 2008. I see big things ahead for this young man. Highly recommended.

Absolutely worth picking up! Flows very nicely with the first CD (good idea from another reviewer). Lots of ballads which I love.

Fave Tracks:
*Woman - midtempo, definitely a great radio hit; Love the lyrics

*Love Drug - what woman wouldn't love this ballad???

*CUSTOMER - Hello???? You can't get enough of this guy's respect and love for women; great ballad

*MARATHON - Love this ballad with Floetry, just beautiful

*She's Not You - Class is in session! Take a lesson :-); nice ballad

*Empty - nice ballad

*Four Letter Word - Someone mentioned it reminds them of D'Angelo's "Untitled"...I totally agree. Still a great ballad.

I subtracted a star for "Friday" - oh well, what can I say that everyone before me hasn't already said? I wish he had put that first just to get it over with.

The other thing I don't care for is the interludes. I can do without those, although they aren't terrible. All in all it's a really good CD. If you're reading this and you're in the LA area, I found it at Target today for $10 ;-)

PS - Any guy out there looking for the words to get back that special woman...consider this CD :-)

I got a sneak peek of some of the tracks on Raheem's new CD, and after hearing the rest this weekend, I think this is a very solid, if mainstream effort. This CD is definitely more radio-friendly than Raheem's first, but the songwriting and production are excellent. My favorites:

Love Drug & Energy - I CANNOT believe these songs were produced by Scott Storch. Not what I would expect from him at all.

Customer (I feel like I shouldn't like this song, but I do)...if you've ever seen Raheem live, you understand the "you can have it your way" BK references (smile).

Marathon (although I prefer Rah's live version)

She's Not You - This song has really grown on me.

Four Letter Word, even though it reminds me a bit too much of D'Angelo's "Untitled". I still love it though.

I have to agree with everyone on "Friday (Shut the Club Down)" - I HATE THAT SONG!!! It's so against everything that Raheem has done...not sure why he included it here. I have tried listening to it several more times since I got the CD, and I still skip through after 10 seconds.

I hope Raheem sees more success with this CD. This CD seems to be geared towards getting Raheem more radio airplay, and I think he will have better luck with this one. Even though it is more mainstream than TLE, it still displays the best of Raheem.