Customer Reviews

The Return

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Ruben Studdard could become one of our great singers ...-could-... but greatness is more than just making a nice sound come out of your mouth: Studdard's recordings don't have the consistency of point of view that comes from the ARTIST -having- a point of view. (Example: A much less technically adept singer, Madonna, for instance, can work with any number of producers, and yet a listener can -hear- that no tune is released until -she- approves it.) Studdard has to stop taking everyone else's word on what works. Sure, you use experts in each field to put the project together, but it's YOUR project. It's time to take charge of your career, this aint "American Idol" anymore. It's not terrible, it just ain't Ruben.

Glad to see Ruben step out of the American Idol zone and bring it to us like a man. I listened to the entire CD yesterday on a first listen site, not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised. Great balance of songs on this disc. From the slow and sultry "Blow Ya Mind" to the up-tempo groove of "What The Business Is," the CD sizzles. Favorites, "Blow Ya Mind," "Our Story" and "I'm Not Happy." Oh yeah, I cringed at the idea of a cover, especially a Luther cover, but was overwhelmed by the awesomeness of "If Only For One Night." Great homage to Mr. Vandross. Huge step-up from "Soulful."

This CD is my introduction to Ruben. I confess I haven't followed his career nor have I listened to any of his previous CDs. However, I love his sound. It's sultry, sexy, mesmerizing. Ruben's style sort of reminds me of Luther Vandross. This CD is what I'd listen to on a rainy night, cuddled up in front of the fire with someone I love.

The Return (of the Velvet Bear) is catchy. Makes you wanna get on your feet and let your body sway to the music.

Change Me is a slow ballad. Not sure if I like it yet. I can't put my finger on why I don't like it. I don't know. Maybe it's the lyrics.

Make Ya Feel Beautiful is another sultry tune that truly does make you feel sexy as you get up and dance to it.

My favorite track is If Only for One Night. It's beautiful yet sad, haunting yet, um, fulfilling. Really great song to slow dance to.

I'm rating The Return a four out of five stars because I'm not sure if it'd make my top ten list of favorite CDs. I think Ruben has great style, great voice and as he gains more experience and more confidence in himself, he'll get better and better.

EVEN THOUGH HE WAS GIVING THANKS TO GOD IN HIS PREVIOUS ALBUM,WHICH WAS ALL GOOD,HE BROUGHT IT BACK TO WHAT ENDEARED HIM TO WHAT HAS GROWN TO MILLIONS OF FANS. FANTASTIC ALBUM(CD!) CONTINUE TO PUT OUT BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU. M.L.ROBINSON-PENNSAUKEN,N.J.

I'd wanted this album the moment I knew he was coming back mainstream. I'm really feeling track 4, Get Loose has a upbeat tempo and the language is comical. The lyrics throughout the whole thing's very catchy. Not too many tracks I don't care for. I can listen to the CD all the way through and not get annoyed. The big Teddy Bear has such a beautiful voice. Highly recommend.

The 'velvet teddy bear' resurfaced this year after being out of the limelight for awhile. The American Idol winner has shed a massive amount of weight and continues to strive to lose more. But one thing that is certain is that being gone for so long can have a big impact when it comes to a musical career. Ruben Studdard was hoping that his new album The Return would live up to his debut album. But some might be surprised that the album isn't as polished as that shiny bald head of his.

The first single "Change Me" sounds too much like "Sorry 2004" to me. It's still a decent song, but the formula of recreating previous hits just doesn't sit well with fans. Songs like the title track "The Return," "I'm Not Happy," "Get U Loose," and "What Tha Business" are good, but the production and mid-tempo melodies don't complement Ruben's powerful singing ability at all. Some of the better tracks on the album are the seductive "Our Story," the second single "Make Ya Feel Beautiful," and "One Side" (the last two tracks were penned by Ne-Yo). But Ne-Yo missed the mark with "Rather Just Not Know" with objectionable lines like "Tell me another lie/ make me believe it's all in my mind/ tell me you were out with your girls last night/ and that my boys didn't see you with another guy." Other good songs are the self-explanatory "Blow Ya Mind" and the bonus track "If Only For One Night," a cover of the late, great Luther Vandross.

It's almost a blessing in disguise that Ruben's album isn't a knockout hit. He needs to take his time and grow into a respectable artist that people can learn to love and appreciate over time. Even the greats like Luther and Stevie didn't have all 5-star albums throughout their career. So just because this album isn't a classic doesn't mean it's not respectable. The Return does what it's supposed to do...fulfill the void that his fan base has been feeling in his absence and further demonstrate that he's a viable R&B artist who will stand the test of time.

This is a great CD from Ruben. The writers and producers did a good job at showcasing his talent. However I would love for Ruben to make a CD that covers the great classics such as 1) John Lennon's Imagine (The version featured on the Ray Charles' CD is ok, but I want a version with Ruben by himself) 2) Shining Star- The Manhattans 3) Endless Love-Luther Vandross... and other similar songs. I'm sure if/when he makes such an CD that all of his fans would be very happy.
Until then...let's enjoy the Return.
We love you Ruben!!!

Pros: I bought this cd the day it came out and I was so excited to hear it, but it took me forever to get through it. As soon as I got to "Make Ya Feel Beautiful," I could NOT stop listening to it. I downloaded it to my MySpace page and just kept clicking replay on my computer. When I found out Ne-Yo wrote it, that did it for me. It has that Ne-Yo Knock on it and I can't get enough of that song. "Change Me" was some REAL talk and I respect that man for standing up for who he is and being proud of it--although I am a vegetarian and very proud that he's joining the veggie fam! "Get U Loose" has a really nice beat to it and I like that song. I actually like every song on here, but those are the three that stand out the most to me. It was the type of album that you play all the way through and love every minute of it, minus...

Cons: Although his voice is as beautiful as Luther Vandross and I know he is a fan of the man, the fact that American Idol played off of that and his last album had a Luther song on it, I wouldn't have advised him to do it on this album with "If Only For One Night." Ruben, I understand that your mother loves Vandross, but let Vandross be Vandross, and you be Studdard. If you want to sing it for her on a personal tribute cd just for her to listen, then cool, but the public will look at you skeptically for that and wonder if you're feeding off of that too much.

Also: When you read interviews about him in Sister 2 Sister and see him on ComicView, it's a delight to know that he's such a funny guy. Idol didn't get to take advantage of that much, but he cracks me up whenever I read something about him.

I have been in love with Ruben since American Idol. I really enjoyed his first two albums, Soulful and I Need An Angel. I pleasantly surprised to see that he was coming out with a new album. I listened to the album on AOL Full CD Listening Party. Then, I purchased the on album on my iTunes, and now, I can not stop listening to it. The Return is an awesome album, and I loved all of the tracks. My favorite songs are Our Story, Blow Ya Mind, and Make Ya Feel Beautiful. Ruben, you did it, again.

Ruben's voice is very soothing on the ballads and strokes the spirit. He makes you want to get up and dance on the uptempo songs. There were one are two songs that I skipped because I didn't care for them lyrically, but Ruben is bringing it on this album. He has matured and you can hear it in his voice and song interpetations such as Our Story and If Only For One Night. Make You Feel Beautiful and Rather Just Not Know are my favorites. I was very impressed. Very good album....