Customer Reviews

Love Experience

5 star:		(114)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Love Experience is the debut album from young soulful singer Raheem Devaughn. Raheem is signed with Jive Records. The album opens up with the intro which poses the question, "Are you feeling loved today?" The title track is wonderful and I am quite surprised that this wasn't chosen as a first or second single. It's followed by the album's first single, "Guess Who Loves You More." This is a nice laid back track.

One thing about the album that I'm not that fond of is the album cover. The art work is nice but the side profile isn't the most flattering picture of Raheem. I have met him in person and he is a very handsome young man. I have my theory about this picture. He is a very soulful and mature sounding young man, but when you see him in person with his cornrows and his baby face he looks more like a hip-hop artist than a soul singer. "Who" is another really wonderful song. The entire album for the most part is filled with uptempo soul songs. "Sweet Tooth" is a great song and "You" is a unique sounding song.

All I can say now is buy this much anticipated CD and you won't be disapointed. There is nothing out right now that sounds like this and this album is great from start to finish. The song "Until" which borrows from a popular Isley Brothers song is sure to be a favorite with listeners. "Cadillac" is another great song which has a Lenny Kravitz feel to it.

If you enjoys artists such as Anthony Hamilton, DeAngelo, Angie Stone, Raphael Sadiq or Jaguar Wright you may enjoy this album.

Raheem Devaughn is the hands-down R&B newcomer of the year! That's a bold statement considering most people probably never even heard the name Raheem Devaughn before. Some of you might have been lucky enough to have heard his first single "Guess Who Loves You More" on your local radio station or satellite radio channel. But if that's all you heard, you are in for a real treat in his debut album entitled The Love Experience. Raheem takes you on a whirlwind of love, heartache, and everything in between.
Take for instance "Ask Yourself," a stand-out single that takes you back to the good old days of Prince and Marvin Gaye when they practically tantalized women with their songs. This notion is further repeated in the songs "Breathe" and "You," but each track stands on its own despite the seductive characteristics they all have. But the title track "The Love Experience" digs a little deeper in describing the different situations that we all go through when dealing with love. "Where I Stand" is Raheem's effort at getting into the mind of a girl who can't make up her mind on whether they will be more than friends.

But the album isn't all romance. "Green Leaves" is an attempt at giving advice on enriching your life and aspiring to do more regardless of the obstacles that get in the way. "Catch 22" is basically Raheem's story about how pushing forward and ultimately ending up right where you started and accomplishing very little in the end. He goes further into the everyday struggles in "Until," basically exclaiming that we shouldn't judge each other because we don't know anything about how good or bad another person's got it. "Who" is his dialogue on how we need to start caring about what goes on in the rest of the world and not being self-centered and concerned only with our own lives.

Raheem Devaughn is a well-rounded artist with a lot of things on his mind. With The Love Experience, he gives you a piece of his soul and hopes you will see that there is more to love and life than what conventional wisdom tells us.

YES!!!! It's about time this CD came out! And yes it's worth it. I went to another store to buy this joint and they only ordered 6 copies!!!! And this store is smack dab in the middle of Maryland!!!! How is a store in Maryland only going to buy 6 copies of local talent??!!?? They might as well went down to downtown DC and smacked Raheem in the face. They was doing the same thing! But I still got this joint and it's hot!! You get an extended version of "Guess Who Loves You More" and "Believe" is hotter then hot! (Is that even possible?)
There is one slight disappointment. I was wishing that his jam with the Isley Brothers sample in the back ground, you know the one that Ice Cube used, was on this album. Oh well I have to get that CD too. It's called the Street Experience No. 1 I believe. And that song is hot too. Get this album. It's good music. Raheem delivers us some good music to the massess that are hungry for good music. For those of us who are tired of listening to the same cookie cutter stuff over and over. He asked us to believe and he delivered. Must buy!!!

P.S. Okay. It helps if you listen to the whole CD but that track I'm talking about is on the CD. It's track 13,"Until"

Here is a break down of the whole CD.

2 The Love Experience: A catchy tune that get's you into the mood and picks your mood up.

3. Guess Who Loves You More: The hit that's been blazing the airwaves for the past few months.

4. Who: A catchy tune that gives Raheem a little cross over appeal. But he really doesn't need that.

5. Where I Stand: A nice mellow groove that I can definitely see making the radio

6. Breathe: Another jam I think could be on the radio

7. You: Ditto

8. Sweet Tooth: I'm not really feeling this one. But all tracks can't be perfect.

9. Ask Yourself: This jam is slightly better then "Believe". I think I already heard this one on the radio. It's definitely a blazin' track.

10. Believe: Is definitely on the radio and is just as blazing as "Guess Who Loves You More". I like how they put "Ask Yourself" and "Believe" back to back like that. Back to Back jams.

11. Is it Possible: A nice mellow track. Not just a CD filler thou if you know what I mean.

12. Catch 22: This track had to grow on me. It's alright and worthy of a listen.

13. Until: I struggle to figure out why this track isn't blazing the airwaves right now because it's hot. It's hotter then "Guess Who Loves You More". This track will definitely have you bopping your head.

14. Cadillac: Definitely a CD filler track but it's worth of a listen.

15. Green Leaves: CD filler, probably won't make the radio.

16. Thank you: A track that should have "(Outro)" in it as well because that's what it is.

As you can see, Amazon only shows this CD with 12 tracks but it actually has 16. With one intro, one outro, and 10 out of 14 tracks that are really good, that more then justifies the purchase of this CD. With so many good tracks, you could put this joint in your player and just hit play. You could even put it in Shuffle mode. Buy it and enjoy it.

First to all the people hating on this album because they think he sounds to much like other artist need to pay attention. All artist nowadays remind people of someone before them. When Prince came out people hated on him because they said he sounded to much like James Brown. And because Prince and Michael Jackson competed on the charts. When D'angelo first came out people hated on him because they said he sounded like Prince. Instead of hating because the artist sounds similar appreciate Raheem for his talents, production, and songwriting skills. And for those who think Jive isn't pushing his album because of the similarities in sound to other artist remember this there are a lot of talented artist that don't get the recognition they deserve just because the labels tend to push artist who have been out longer or have a more hardcore, rauchy, or club banging sound. Also people have to remember that R. Kelly is on the Zomba Label as well and the company spent more money and time promoting R. Kelly's album because of his history selling records ( by the way for those wondering I do Like R.Kelly). When Amerie first came out with her song "1Thing" her label wasn't feeling it, so she took it upon herself to promote her album. The end result was a pretty successful sophomore set.

Man I got to tell ya'll it's been a while before I felt an album this much. Raheem's production, lyrics, and sweet vocals are fyurrr. I agree that not since D'angelo has an artist reminded me of a young Prince. And by far Prince is a tough artist to stand up against. But, with his own style and a deeper voice Raheem definitely has me a a fan. When I first heard "Guess who loves you more" during quiet storm hour on the radio. I instantly fell in love with the song. I kept calling the station until I got through to find out who the artist was. Once I found out I went online and realized he had a site called urbanave31. I couldn't wait for his CD to drop. Record companies these days tend to push out lower quality albums just cause of one or two hot songs. I hope Jive records gives Raheem the support he needs and pushes this album. Here are my song ratings:
1. Intro
2. The Love Experience 8/10
3. Guess Who Loves You More 10/10
4. Who 7/10
5. Where I Stand 10/10
6. Breathe 10/10
7. You 10/10
8. Sweet Tooth 9/10
9. Ask Yourself 10/10
10. Believe 10/10
11. Is It Possible 9/10
12. Catch 22 8/10
13. Until 5/10 ( song lyrics decent but the beat throws the whole song off for me. That Isley beat is truly a unique sound). 14. Cadillac 8/10
15. Green Leaves 9/10
16. Thank You (outro)

A lot of people feel some of the best songs on this album are " Guess Who" and " Believe". As much as I love these two songs. The one song I find myself repeating is " Breathe". This is definitely a song you fellas should play for your ladies when your planning a romantic evening. :)

Keep up the good work Raheem I wish you much success because you most def' have the talent.

After hearing two of his tracks on the radio, I knew that I liked Raheem's music. But when the cd hit the stores, I was hesitant to buy it. Why? Because there have been so many self-proclaimed "neo-soul" artists with about 3 goood tracks on their debut cd. During my hunt for Anthony Hamilton's cd "Soul Life", I spotted the last copy of "The Love Experience". Before I opened it, I told my self, 'This brother has 5 cuts to impress me or this cd is going on eBay.' Well, after owning this cd for close to 2 weeks, I'm happy to say that it's on HEAVY ROTATION in my truck. I love this album. After listening to some of the sorriest R&B music in history made by whiney, chicken boned chested little boys, I am so very grateful for Raheem's grown man essence.

Ladies, this is a cd to lay back with. Fellas, this is a cd to take to your ladies' house if she doesn't already have it.

He either wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks on this cd which shows that the talent he display on this debut cd is just scratching the surface.

Buy this cd.

I absolutely love this CD...I am a very picky listener and not since Mary J's "My Life" did I find a CD that I could listen too over and over again each time giving me goose bumps...His voice is beautiful and the songs definitely get you in a good mood. Absolutely one of the best CDs out there today...This CD is a must have...You'll have no regrets!!!

The 1st time I heard Raheem DeVaughn sing was at Barr Nunn in Washington DC around 1999 or 2000. I was literally in tears when he sung Until. He has such a passionate voice you feel it deep down in your soul. I knew at that very moment that this boy was going to go far. I am honored to write this review because I knew it would come to this-Raheem DeVaughn having a CD that the world can hear. For this gentleman to finally have his CD drop(he waited so long for this-patience is a virtue) and to come in at # 9 on the Billboard charts is a blessing!! Congradulations Raheem-you deserve it.
Darlene

When I first heard "Guess Who Loves You More" I bugged out and had to find out who this was. The artist name would always escape me or was never mentioned...then at some point I heard it and waited to hear the artist name. I immediately sought out Raheem DeVaughn. The CD is crazy and then when "You" dropped I was like "Oh my Lord this man is bananas." A must have CD for soul, neo-soul, r&b, hip-hop, rock...if you're a music lover this is a must have.

The CD was an amazing experience and I look forward to hearing more great works from this wonderfully talented artist. The CD is a breath of fresh air amidst all of the Romper Room type music going on in the music industry as of late.

Although, I don't have this album in my collection like I should, I do listen to it on Rhapsody. And I must say, I'm in love with Raheem DeVaughn. This album is awesome. I really hope that he doesn't die off and leave us hanging. I hate when I start liking someone and then they leave me waiting and waiting and waiting (ie. Donnie...Colored Section, excellent album, but where the hell are u). So please, if u don't have this album in your collection, please do so now. I will be adding it to my collection real soon.