Customer Reviews

OnMyRadio

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For most Musiq Lovers, "Radio" had to be the most confusing track of his career. With recent changes in R&B and Hip Hop in the industry you would wonder why he (A Neo Soul Artist) would even bother trying to appeal to a broader audience with that song. If anything we wanted to go BACK to where Musiq took us in 2000. And in this album Musiq defintely delivers!! If you were a fan of the "Luvanmusiq" album you will find this to be WAYY better. The only album filler in this song is "Radio" and musiq does us a favor by putting it in the end of the album! The tracks that will instantly smack you in the face is the in your face intro "Backagain" and the smooth, beautiful ballad "Until". The album continues with the "Teachme" followup "IFyouleave" featuring Mary J. Blige. A good touch on the musiq album but he does his thing on "Special" with the craziest chorus and production I've ever heard. "DearJohn" is the very heartfelt boy version of a girls Dear John letter. The song explains that Musiq finds it hard to leave so he leaves his letter because he doesnt want to see her cry. (Damn... made me cry). Then theres.. "Loveofmylife" WOW. This track's chorus and bridge will blow you away.. Reminds me of Soulstars "Whereareyougoing" another favorite of mine. "Moneyright" needs a video, it does have a John Legend Green Light feel to it, but with alot more heart. The rest of the album except for "radio" is simply beautiful. I recommend a few listens to "Sobeautiful" ending to the bridge to hear Musiq craziest vocal riff i heard in a few years. Wow I'm doing that every day now lol. My Instant Favs are...

1) Until (10/10)
2) Loveofmylife (9.5/10)
3) Backagain (9/10)
4) Special (9.5/10)
5) MoneyRight (9.5/10)
6) Sobeautiful (10/10)
7) DearJohn (9/10)

Damn 7 Favorites!! THIS ALBUM IS GREAT.

Beyonce is flirting with pop/rock concoctions, John Legend has traded in the piano for a synthesizer, Common has left his brains for sex-drenched party jams, the heartbroken Kanye is confiding in auto-tune, and Brandy wants to be a bonafide pop princess. For better or worse, the stars of urban music are changing left and right in an attempt to salvage their careers, even when it's not necessary. But no matter what, I always knew I could turn to one man who continuously comes with quality R&B and does not break the formula that we know and love: Musiq Soulchild. That is, until he released the lame attempt at A-town crunk & B, "radio," earlier this year. It shook my world that this man could release something as simple and just plain trashy as that song. It was met with cold reception, and good riddance. Luckily, that is the only really drastic departure Musiq takes on this disc. The rest is just good ol' Musiq in his tried-and-true form. Onmyradio opens with the best track, the thumping and vindictive "backagain." His duet with Mary J. Blige, "ifuleave"--although quite reminiscent of "teachme," from his last album--is an excellent track. Musiq supplies us with many other superb ballads on this set that we've come to expect from him: "loveofmylife," "someone," and most importantly, the heart-felt "sobeautiful." "moneyright" is a cool electro-R&B mid-tempo, with a struggling protagonist who wants to buy the world for his woman, but can't. "iwannabe" is a reggae-tinged track with soulful and charismatic vocals, including a welcome cameo from Damian Marley. Quite honestly, "radio" is the only stinker here. Onmyradio, like Musiq's other releases, may not be the most daring album out there, but it is an undoubtedly quality R&B release that is quite refreshing will all this other radical change in the urban music industry.

I've been listening to this guy since Just friends and i must say every album since has been kind of worse than the one that proceeded it. However Musiq with this one is back on his game. He produced a wonderful album and he showcases why he should have been on top of the R&B world before and why he should be now. Its got club jams, slow jams, and even a reggae tinged jam. This album is a killer, go get it.

This album is so well thought out and composed that it will make you think Musiq has some type of hidden formula or secret touch everytime he makes an album. He consistently hits with a dance number to let us know he is back (b.u.d.d.y., just friends, forthenight, radio), an R&B classic (ifuleave, teachme, halfcrazy), an inspirational love song (dontchange, love, whoknows, someone) and he is thus far very successful and consistent and genius in his approach. This album proves just that, so I will give a song by song analysis and introduce my opinions on my first listen:


backagain-He sorta intro's himself here but he is really speaking to a woman, over what sounds like an old school curtis blow type beat while a piano slowly eases into the song. the chorus goes , "welcome back, welcome back girl..." catchy but not a fav.

until-The old sample of a female voice catches ur attention along with the nice beat that repeats and Musiq caresses this song with ease on how he will love his woman until...and the beat continues just the same.

ifuleave-The piano comes melodically while the strings follow effortlessly and Musiqs voice just pours into the song. Mary holds her own too and her voice seems to be more contoured and mature.

deserveumore-Classic Musiq delivery...The song starts off with a serious old school prom night slow dance vibe and the "ooo wee ooo" harmonies definitely make the magic happen here. Musiq's sped up vocal delivery is incredible as he comes in subtlely with the chorus. Awesome song!

special-Reminds you of his previous work and albums where he combines a womans' harmonies over him talk-sing-raps. Not a favorite. I wouldn't necessarily skip this one either.

dearjohn-Here we are intro'd to a beautiful piano once again and this thumps with a powerful message, classic ATL snap beat, and sad lyrics and wonderful melody

loveofmylife-Amazing harmonies open the song and makes me think of a musical production then Musiq slides in and does harmonies on this track like no other....almost sounds like he played with Auto-Tune but its his natural voice along with some female vocals.

moneyright-Cute dance song, almost sounds like someone should be cheering to this one. Not a fav, but not skippable either.

someone-This is the whoknows, love and dontchange of this album...classic love song! Enough said...beautiful song!

iwannabe-Instant feel good song with a vintage beat hiding thru the song! Musiqs voice is effortless on this one almost like a Donny Hathaway/Stevie Wonder-ish song! Damian Marley u gotta love him!

so beautiful-Pure Eargasm! It comes in with an EP Piano and this is where a female listener falls in love with Musiq and a male listener wishes he had wrote and composed this song. He sings his verses in falsetto and goes into the chorus in a lower key. Throughout the song we hear subtle but heavy breathing which further lets us know this song is made for lovemaking. The way he caresses the notes, leading to the bridge sounds like a melodic climax. Then, Musiq's vocal riffs near the bridge and ending will knock your socks and shoes completely off...he goes from a high note to a low note in a single melody...AMAZING!

radio-Alot of people don't favor this song but I can appreciate it because this beat is zany and catchy, u could catch me dancing to this one in a club scene or my room! bouncing my shoulders up and down more than likely

Overall, Musiq will always get my $9.99 if he continues to make albums like this. He has saved 2008 for me! Well done!

Musiq Soulchild is without a doubt one of best singers to come from the Neo-Soul movement that was so dominant in the early 21st century. However mainstream success has constantly avoided Musiq, which is a shame as the man has given us classic ballads from Love & Who Knows to feel good classics like Just Friends & For The Night. When I heard the lead single, Radio, from On My Radio I was impressed the same way I was with Kanye West's Love Lockdown as it showed an artist reaching outside of his musical niche. Below you'll find a track by track breakdown of the songs and my thought on each one.

1. Back Again - The CD opens up with a nice up-tempo track. I especially liked the way he looped the hook from the theme song of Welcome Back Kotter.

2. Until - I particularly liked the arrangements on the song as Musiq's voice meshes well with the instruments.

3. If You Leave feat. Mary J. Bilge - Along with So Beautiful, this is one of the strongest songs on the CD. This is one of the strongest duets Mary has ever done and this has already become a classic in my book.

4. Deserve U More - This song could serve as a sequel to Half Crazy or Teach Me. When is comes to make an apology song, Musiq knows exactly how to get the job done.

5. Special - I really wasn't feeling this one, especially after two excellent ballads.

6. Dear John - Along with Previous Cats & Teach Me, this is one of the deepest songs I've ever heard from Musiq. Even though it's a heartbreak song, you can't help but respect the way Musiq's tenor carries this song.

7. Love of My Life- The way the song transitions from Dear John is noteworthy. The essence I got from the song was Karma always comes back on you.

8. Money Right - The song really didn't anything for me either, it seemed better suited for John Legend.

9. Someone - After the lackluster, Money Right, Musiq comes back with this Stevie Wonder styled slow jam. Listening to this track made me think of my wife and instantly smile.

10. I Wanna Be - Maybe it's because I'm not the biggest reggae fan but this song was another misstep for me.

11. So Beautiful - Now this one of my favorite slow jams from Fall 2008 and will be played for years to come. Musiq's vocal control on these songs takes me back to classics like Eric Benet's Feminitty & Prince's Insatiable.

12. Radio - The lead single that never really caught on with the public but I always liked It.

Despite a few missteps with Money Right, Special & I Wanna Be this is a good addition to Musiq's discography. If he would have replaced the missteps with a cover of say Prince's Adore or Con Funk Shun's, Straight From The Heart I'd give the album five stars. Along with Eric Roberson & Rashann Patterson, no other Neo-Soul artist is more deserving of mainstream success than Musiq Soulchild. With his fifth CD, in his eight year career, Musiq continues demonstrate a talent that will be heard from for years to come.

I am a true Musiq fan. I have and will continue to run out any buy every CD he puts out because I love his sound. Unfortunately, I did not fall in love with this CD like I hoped I would. I can usually find a slow track that that I'll love right off the bat, and then as I listen, I'll find something more upbeat that grabs me. That hasn't happened yet with this CD. It just seems a little flat to me. Nevertheless, I'm going to continue to listen to it with hopes that it will grow on me. I know some don't like the song "On My Radio" because it's different for Musiq, I on the other hand seem to like that one because of the beat. I haven't really listened to the lyrics yet though. Overall, the CD is a little better than OK to me, but I wouldn't discourage anyone from purchasing it.

I gave this record a 4 because I love Musiq and I'm loyal to him :) However, the CD has 1 song that I truly love. The rest did not move me. He has such an amazing voice and talent and somehow felt that these tracks were not "him". Nothing like "Teach Me How to Love". That's the good stuff!

After hearing "Just Friends (Sunny)" on the Nutty Professor 2 soundtrack in the year 2000, I was definitely looking forward to the release of Musiq Soulchild's debut CD. Later the same year, Musiq would release Aijuswanaseing. The CD was a mixbag of Neo Soul slow jams and uptempo jams that included my favorites "Mary Go Round", "Love", "Settle For My Love" w/Aaries, "Girl Next Door" w/Ayana of Aaries and "You And Me". Musiq returned 2 years later with Juslisen. The 1st single "Halfcrazy" was one of my favorites, as well as, "Time", "Don't Change", "Newness" and "Previouscats". This CD was right up there with "Aijuswanaseing" and some of his fans may even say that this is his best CD. Soulstar was released in 2003 and gained momentum because of the 1st single "forthenight". My other favorites included the 2nd single "whoknows", "womanopoly" and "momentinlife". Musiq would wait until 2007 to release his 4th disc Luvanmusiq. My favorites included the 1st single "B.U.D.D.Y.", "Ms. Philadelphia", "Teach Me", "Better Man", "Questions" and "Today".


A year later, Musiq Soulchild returns with his 5th disc, "Onmyradio". When I saw the video for the 1st single "Radio" on VH1 Soul, I have no problem admitting that I was not pleased with the effort. The track was totally different than anything that Musiq had done before and I was hoping that this wasn't what the entire CD would sound like. That just may be the worst Musiq Soulchild song of all time. It sounds like a bland attempt to make a r&b uptempo track. Musiq is at his best when he stays with Neo Soul. I saw the video for the 2nd single, "Ifuleave" w/Mary J. Blige and I was definitely pleased with what I heard. This was the Musiq that I have come to know over the years with thought provoking words on the good and bad that can happen in any friendship/relationship or marriage. Mary J. is on point as usual and the duet works for me. The 1st track on the CD, "Backagain" won't be anything special for you until you listen to it a couple of times. The lyrics are definitely on point but the production by Warryn Campbell clearly isn't his best work. However, Warryn definitely gets 100% better on "Until", which is clearly an example of a track that you would have heard on any of the previous Musiq Soulchild releases. "Deserve U More" has Musiq trying to explain to the lady in his life that no one else deserves her love more than he does. This slow jam has an old school feel to it and is definitely up there with the best songs on this CD. "Special" is decent but the production gets in the way once again. I can relate to the lyrics but there is too much going on with the production to make this be one of your favorite tracks, in my opinion. "Dear John" has Musiq leaving a voicemail for his woman to explain to her that he feels that it's time for him to have his space and to leave the woman that he is with. He could have told her in person but he didn't want to see the look on her face or the tears in her eyes once she received the news. This is the type of top notch slow jam that you expect when you buy a Musiq CD. "Love Of My Life" picks up where "Dear John" left off as he realizes that his relationship is over because of the mistakes that he has made. He knows what he did was wrong but he is still trying to figure out how he can go on without the love of his life. The song that should be the next single is clearly "Someone". Musiq has always been known for memorable slow jams such as "Love", "Don't Change", "Who Knows" and "Teach Me". "Someone" is next in line. "Someone" has Musiq wanting to find a woman that will be with him for the rest of his life. He wants her to be there for the good times and bad times and to deal with the faults that he has at the same time. This is clearly the best song on "On My Radio", in my opinion. "So Beautiful" has Musiq taking a trip with the women to the bedroom. After hearing the track, they will be impressed with this sexy, sensual slow jam.

Overall, "On My Radio" is definitely a solid effort from Musiq. However, songs like "Radio", "Money Right" and "I Wanna Be" w/Damian Marley keep this CD from being a top notch effort. I do think that Musiq fans will be pleased with the majority of the other 9 songs. If you enjoyed the previous 4 releases, there is enough quality material on this disc to have you pick up CD #5 from Musiq.


James' Top 5

1) Someone
2) If U Leave w/Mary J. Blige
3) Deserve U More
4) Dear John
5) Until

Honorable Mention:

So Beautiful
Love Of My Life
Back Again

This album is sensational and a definite must have for all of you loyal Musiq fans. This is definitely one of his best and a sheer classic. I loved this album from track 1 all the way through. Did not find myself skipping over tracks at all, if anything I was playing them over and over again. Many us were quite confused with track 13 being that were used to the Philly soul sound from him. However, with the current state and changing trends of the industry, I can understand why he would do a track like "radio". So for that I am not mad at this talented and gifted brother. All and all he remains true to his craft and his audience. Please get this album you will not be dissappointed.

I have to admit earlier this year, I was put off by the first single for this CD, "Radio" and since the song didn't catch on, I was worry about how this CD was going to sound. I'm relieved to say my worries can be put aside. This CD is classic "Musiq Soulchild." There are a few side excursions that are mixed at best. The aforementioned "Radio" is the most glaring miscue followed by "Dear John" and for the most part "Money Tight," which reminds me of "Greenlight" by John Legend. The latter song is tolerable though. After getting passed these missteps on the CD, Musiq regains ground with the retro-soul of "Until," the two-step banger "Special," the ballads "Deserve You More," "Love of my life," "Someone," and "If you Leave" featuring Mary J. Blige (I like the song but it reminds me of "teach me." But thankfully, this was the song that made people interested again in this release) and the reggae tinged "I wanna be" featuring Damian Marley. The best song on this CD is the gorgeous ballad that IMO ranks up there as one of his best songs, "So Beautiful." I can't get this song out of my head and you want either after one listen.