Customer Reviews

The Love & War MasterPeace (Deluxe 2 CD)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been listening to this on repeat for about a week (give or take) since it leaked. I liked it so much I went out to buy it today and ended up spending an extra $6 on the double disk. (Which is worth it the 11 tracks on the bonus disk are all very good) I immediately was able to relate really well and loved the socially consciousness of the music. It almost gives you a Marvin Gaye feel. He makes a 70's style of music seem very current today. To me, what makes this album so great is the strong message that's involved with every song.

"Bulletproof" needs no intro, in an industry filled with cheating & heartbreaks, it definitely brings a new flavor and gives you something to think about. It was a very creative song, you can tell Raheem Devaughn really dug deep in order to write a song like that.

"Greatness" is a "great" track, as a big Wale fan, I didn't think he would do well on a song like this but he really showed off. This song could be like an anthem to women everywhere.

"I Don't Care" is a song that really jumped out at me, another song that has a good meaning and great sound. It describes those relationships (I think we've all had on like this) where it seems like theres more people in the relationship than just 2 people because everyone tries to have an opinion or say so in the relationship

"Black & Blue" is probably my favorite song on the album. I know soooo many women that are in this situation but don't remove themselves from their abusive situations because they believe that's how their man shows love, dead wrong. I now have a song to play for them, hopefully Raheem Devaughn can get through to these women.

"Mr. Right" is a great song, very positive, hopefully songs like this one can motivate certain men that refuse to grow or mature. "Fragile" is definitely a "Raheem Devaughn style" song. Its what you would expect from a Raheem Devaughn song. If you got in a friends car and they were playing this song, you would immediately know this was Raheem Devaughn, which is something I can't say for a song like "Bulletproof". That is another thing that makes this CD so great, Raheem shows off his versatility and really brings a diverse sound on just about every song.

"My Wife" is a great song! One of the motto's I've always used is "I'm not looking for a boo, wifey, girlfriend, or any of that...I'm looking for someone with the characteristics of a WIFE" that motto basically describes this song. Moving past all the labels and making it official.

"B.O.B" is such a creative song!!!!!! "Battery Operated Boyfriend", all of us men have heard women rave and talk about them...but Raheem Devaughn puts a nice spin on it...he describes that "BOB" can't run your bathwater, tell you he loves you, kiss you, tell you he misses you, etc. Plus, BOB's batteries run out...EXTREMELY CREATIVE SONG!!!

"Bedroom" adds to the diversity of this album, you have songs that are socially conscious, love songs, a woman's anthem, and this puts a "freaky" twist to everything....a track like this is a must have for every R&B album!

"Microphone" is a subliminal style song, similar to "Customer", make it seem like your talking about one think, when you're actually talking about something else. Raheem Devaughn has said before that he can write songs like this in his sleep. It shows what a creative genius he is because this doesn't seem like an easy song to pencil. "Garden of Love" is has a throwback feel, like i said above, he makes an old school sound, sound very current. He does it very well on this song.

"Nobody Wins in War" is another socially conscious song. Very deep and has a great sound. The moral of the song is "A soldier never wins a war, they only give their life" Its a song that definitely will give you some food for thought.

"Revelations" is a song featuring Damien Marley that is also very conscious. It's recorded over Jay-z's "Can I LIve" instrumental and throughout the song he questions "Can I Live?" just as Jay-z did on his version. Just like Jay-z's version of the song, this is a great song. Damien Marley does very well on this song

Out of every song on this CD there is not ONE song that I skip or don't listen to, its seriously flawless. I've seen it got a 10/10 by a couple of the websites that had reviewed the album and I personally cannot argue with that rating at all. This is a CD I will listen to for 10 years. This will be universally known as a classic album!

Raheem expresses his own creative vibe on the CD and I am feeling it! He does well mixing the fast and slows and also the song writing is very well done (an art that people dont take into consideration anymore)Its a breath of fresh air from the norm and top 100. From bulletproof the lead single his goal was to go more Marvin gaye with this cd IMO. Sensual riffs and haunting backgrounds on the ballads make this cd a special one get the deluxe version and treat yourself to something different but well done.

I've been blasting this CD since I got it! Everything from the Intros & Interludes by Dr. Cornel West to the nature and lyrics of each song flows! There isn't 1 track on this CD that I don't like/skip over. Raheem has blended his "sexy" lyrics with "in your face this is what's going on in the world" lyrics, and it's a winning formula! The collaborations aren't heavy and overbearing which is always a plus for me. When I buy a CD for an artist, I like to hear how that artist has grown from 1 CD to the next and often times if a CD is drowned in collaborations it leaves the listener (at least for me) wondering if the artist is trying to make up for where they are lacking but in Raheem's case, all his collaborations enhances the song. My favorite songs are B.O.B, Microphone, Garden of Love, Wing & A Prayer, Super Hero, Hopeless Romantic and Nobody Wins A War (which puts me in the mindset of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On"). Jill Scott does a spoken word piece to close out the song, talk about profound and thought provoking!!! Raheem is definitely at the top of the game right now and I'm loving every minute of it!

MASTERPEACE is an absolutely appropriate title, without the play on words. Not only does Raheem display diversity in his song choices as well as the accompanying music but he skillfully interweaves none other than the great Cornell West between the tracks DROPPING SCIENCE ABOUT LOVE!!!
HOW FLY IS THAT?
I have never slept on Raheem Devaughn, and with every CD you can absolutely hear the growth in his musical development. Additionally his upliftment of women (especially his momma) is very inspiring. This brotha really really sangs about love. Without going into great detail about every song, however I will say this, EVERY TRACK IS FIRE. At times R and B lyrics leave a lot to be desired so reliance upon a hot beat seems to be the focal point. Not so with this CD set because it combines them both. The war song with Raheem et. al. is absolutely POWERFUL and Jill Scott's monologue is the perfect addition. This CD has been on constant rotation since I've purchased it and everytime I listen to it, I can really feel the underlying theme of love. I believe the spirit of Marvin Gaye was in the studio giving his blessings when this CD was recorded. It is truly a MASTER PEACE without the play on words!

This album doesn't need an extensive review, because it's Raheem Devaughn and his reputation for producing conscious, revolutionary, soul-stirring music with a sultry sound is well-known amongst the Neo-Soul crowd. And I refuse to believe that Cornel West would lend his name to anything less than authentic.

While I do feel that this cd, hasn't gotten the support I believe it should have from the R&B community - meaning radio play; I believe that as a member of the underground community this album speaks to my soul and hopefully it will speak to yours.

I don't write many reviews, but I just had to give props where props were do, because Raheem presents an eclectic mix of songs with a contemporary twist on the sounds of Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, and the like. All I can say from this point, is that if you don't buy this cd, you are missing out; because it's worth every penny.

I bought this cd for my man & he loved it....very nice deluxe cd package!

I'm a fan, have been ever since the first time I heard "Guess Who Loves You More" on KJLH. I went online to find out who it was, and I listened to snippets of the other songs and fell in love with the album. I shared it with every one I knew and made fans of them too. The second album did not disappoint, and once again with The Love & War Masterpiece, I can say that I remain a true and very satisfied fan. I personally could do without the interlude commentaries by Dr. West. I can certainly identify with the cause, but it is disruptive of the musical experience. Perhaps a more mellow, poetic and melodic style of spoken word would fit better. In any case I'm loving this album and loving this artist. I look forward to learning it by heart as I have the others and to all of his future offerings.

It would be very surprising and a shame if Raheem DeVaughn does not receive the recognition he deserves for such a beautiful piece of work...MasterPeace is the correct word to use in the title for this CD set (gotta get the set). There is a song on these CDs for any and everyone. Boost self-esteem (Greatness), domestic abuse (Black & Blue), reminiscent of Marvin Gaye (Garden of Love), creative (B.O.B.), social conscience (Nobody Wins a War, Bulletproof, Revelations 2010, Soldier Story), love for your baby ((I Don't Care), straight up love songs (Fragile, My Wife, Microphone, Bedroom, Mr. Right), exercise/house music (Lose Control), love for mama (Superhero) and more. You even get spoken word intros and interludes by Dr. Cornel West. This is already a classic. Just sheer excellence and a must have if you're hungry for greatness in the R&B, NeoSoul genres. His voice is simply impeccable. Love it. Love it. Love it. Love it. Love it. YOU CAN NOT GO WRONG WITH THIS CD SET BY RAHEEM DEVAUGHN. And no I don't know him...writing a review like this. LOL Hope you enjoy it too.

I pre-ordered this disk set knowing that I would love anything that Raheem Devaughn touches and I couldn't have been more pleased. Raheem is everything that I want my R&B artist to be. He shows artist like Kelly how to keep it grown and still be sexy. My absolute favorites are:

Disc One
9) My Wife
6) Mr. Right
12) Microphone
8) Fragile
15) Nobody Wins A War
10) B.O.B.
4) I Don't Care

Disc Two
4) Super Hero
5) Soldier Story
10) XOXO
9) Calling Me

My only negative is that there is too much Cornell West and if you don't mind skipping through the many interludes he has on the CD then this is the absolute perfect buy. You gotta cop this one and while you are at it, make sure you get his previous two as well.

This album is most increible. I do notknow what to say. But go cop this record asap! Classic