Customer Reviews

Rl: Elements

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you think you recognise this voice, think of the hits "Wifey","Too close" & "Butta Luv". Yes he is the lead of RnB group Next. In R.L's solo debut, contains a few dance tracks, but his forte is his ballads (especially sad ones) and on this album you get to hear the lot. Here's a quick analysis:

1. Intro - i actually liked it, meaningful
2. Got Me A Model - didn't like it at first but it grew on me
3. Whatch you gonna do - very good dance track!
4. G.H.E.T.T.O - Don't really like this song, kinda weird
5. Good Man - The best ballad on the album, really good!
6. I'll Give You Anything - Another excellent ballad
7. Temptation (Island) - It grew on me eventually, good intro
8. K.N.O.W - has a sad vibe, very emotional
9. Damn - another mad dance track, heavy beats & good intro
10 Model Chick - pretty good, At times R.L sings so fast, i thought he was rappin'.
11. Luv led Me to u - really nice flowing ballad, (i would've sworn this was a remake!)
12. As Long As you know - Superb ballad even though it is a short song, One of my favourites
13. That's What i'm looking for - truly an anthem! It is good to listen to... for a while
14. Do you wanna roll - its very catchy!
15. Thank You(Interlude) - a lot like the intro, it's OK

with such a great album,u wonder if he's gonna do a follow up?

I was already a big Next fan so I was very excited to buy RL's solo debut. And what a debut it is. It's a classy album, with beautiful ballads and hot club bangers. I was pleased to finally buy an album that I could listen to all the way through, without having to skip tracks. Every track is hot.
He also included Do You Wanna Roll featuring a singing Snoop Dogg,and Lil Kim. That song is a summer classic!! Luv Led Me 2 U is my favorite ballad on the album right now. Very sincere, and well sung! Also, be sure to check the credits to see that RL wrote every song. Not a lot of artists today can do that, so I applaud him for that.
My current favorites are Whatcha Wanna Do (shake it shake it...drop it drop it..) and the Soulshock and Karlin 2step-sounding joint 'DAMN'. This song WILL get you dancing, believe me!

Another one to look out for and pay attention to, is the outstanding What I'm Looking 4. This song actually brought tears to my eyes. It's so positive, it gives me chills when he sings 'hold on, stay strong, someone's got your back'. This song will really take people by surprise.

Sit up and take notice, RL is one of the most talented artists around right now. This excellent album proves it, you'll love it!!

If you had any doubt about RL's ability as a solo artist, this album will put that to rest! Pick up a copy and see for yourself. If you're already a fan, you won't be disappoined. They're sure to be bumpin' DAMN! in the clubs before long. Got Me A Model (the current single) is totally off the chain. He represents and raps (yes, raps!) in GHETTO. On the flip side, songs like Good Man, Love Led Me 2 U, & I'll Give You Anything really melt your heart. Don't miss the powerful lyrics in the socially conscious What I'm Looking 4. RL & crew did an excellent job picking the tracks for this CD. His individual personality finally shines through...and you get to see what RL is made of (RL:ements!) NEXT fans, don't worry...RL is still as much a part of NEXT as ever...they're working on their 3rd album right now. RL:ements is HOT...I have 2 copies already.

i aint much of a next fan, i love too close, beauty queen, my everything and wifey... other than those few i aint reallly down with next.. RL on the other hand, i love this album - there's heapz of balladz and an inspiration song at the end (forget what its called).. Anyway buy this album u wont be dissapointed - its pretty good oh and model chic is a gud party song too..

The R&B group, NEXT, frontman has shown he can stand alone. RL solo debut is fun, funky, and filling. It has the party hits and the slow romantic, sexy songs as well. He a talented singer and songwriter. I recently saw him perform live and his voice sounds just like the record. That cannot be said for some of these "singers" coming out now (Ashanti, J-Lo).
It starts off with the title song, "Elements" This sounds more like an interlude or intro of him stating everything (or everyone) in his life has made him what he is today.
The Jermaine Dupri-produced, "Got Me A Model" is a club song. It is the 1st single. This is different from the Next songs the public is used. You can hear LaTosha Scott(Xscape) singing background. The only bad thing about this is JD talking too much towards the end. "Whatcha Wanna Do" has that Next sound. This easily could be the next single. It has a funky mid-tempo flavor.
"Ghetto" is talking about just that. "Good Man" sort of sounds like Dru Hill's "These are the Times". This ballad is displays his vocal range. "Tempted/Temptation Island" has "baby making" music written all over it. He wants to his lover know that he set out to please. R.L. makes you feel his pain and confusion of a relationship that could be over on "K.N.O.W."
Ever since Craig David stepped on American soil, everyone wants to incorporate two-step into their style. R.L. uses it on "Damn" when he desribes the female in his life. The lyrics are somewhat weak and overused.
"Luv Led Me 2 U" is a beautiful ballad. "As Long As U Know" is an acoustic song that displays RL's vocal ability. "Do U Wanna Roll" is the theme song of the Dr. Dolittle 2 soundtrack. How many Roger & Zapp songs can the West Coast sample? This song should not have been out on this CD. You can tell that Snoop, Kim, And RL all did thier parts separatly.
Overall, RL solo effort is shows that he can stand on his own.

RL from the group NEXT comes out with his first album outside of the group. Before this, he had a song on the BROTHERS soundtrack called "good love". i was hoping that song was on this album. however, it wasn't included. i quickly forgot about that song after listening to the ones that were offered. RL strikes a fine balance between club type songs and romantic ballads. i myself being more partial to ballads, thoughly enjoyed them. the more upbeat songs where also finely executed. the guest appearances on the album did not overshadow RL, only enhanced his smooth delivery. giving thanks to his lord and saviour on the final track called "thank you" showed his spiritual side. overall, a wonderful first solo outing from RL.

what can u say about someone who pour's his heart out into an intro song.... id say absolutely incrediable... rl did his thing on this album my review is about 4 years after someone's else review but i had the cd a longer time then that. by all means rl was next.. there would have not been a next without rl. buy this cd u don't like it i'll give u your money back ( not ! ) but you would enjoy it, trust me i have over 1000.00 cd's and all of them r keepers.i had my share of dud cd's but my collection is extensive....

I've listened to this album about 5 times and now I can say that it's not so bad. Actually, it's a good album but just needed to be given a chance. Though RL didn't push his vocals on this album, the lyrics and production are pretty good. If this album was promoted properly, RL would have the success of other lead singers from groups like Sisqo and Beyonce. Overall, not bad.

I had been waiting for this CD to drop for weeks after listening to a few of his songs on Live365. I purchased the CD as soon as it hit the stores and it was well worth the wait!

I was never really a "Next" fan, but after I heard RL do a duet with one of my favorite female singers, Deborah Cox, on "We Can't Be Friends" he grabbed my attention. Then I heard the song "Good Luv" off of the "The Brother's Soundtrack", I was hooked!!! It didn't hurt that this gentleman is just a fine as he wants to be.

After reading the review of Anthony (above) I had to just come back and listen to his CD again. I'm not quite sure what he was listening to. Sorry Anthony! (smiles) My suggestion is just to go through and listen to the samples above.

My reasons for buying this [CD] was for the ballads "Good Man" and "K.N.O.W." Now I am finding myself really feeling "Temptation Island" (I can envision myself on this Island with him), "As Long as U Know" (just beautiful ~the words are touching)and the hidden track "Thank You" (Reminding others no matter what obstacles they are going through - to rely on Jesus Christ, saying "Everything is going to be alright, as long as you believe and turn to me" it sounds as if it is RL's Testimony)

On the fast side, I'm liking "Whatcha Wanna Do" and "Do U Wanna Roll".

I do have to be honest and say I am not feeling at ALL "Got me a Model","GHETTO" and my very least favorite "DAMN!"

SO three songs out of 13 ain't bad, GOOD JOB, RL.

After the slight success of Next's first two albums, RL decided to record a solo album. Signed to J Records (which signs just about anybody), he thought it was time to show people what he's got.

The main problem here is that RL's singing has an acquired taste (especially when he adlibs). The only places he's really come through are in "I Still Love You" and, of course, Deborah Cox's "We Can't Be Friends". And even though "The Best Man I Can Be" was dope, you have to admit that even Case sounded better on there than RL did. The only place he comes through on this album is on "Good Man", which says that he's a better man thanks to the woman he's got. There's also "As Long As You Know", which is pretty decent except for the first thing he says: "I'll worship the rain that falls on the grass that you walk on." Alrighty then.

The rest of the songs are hardly worth listening to. "Luv Led Me 2 U" can be used as a lullaby, and "Damn!" is a stupid explanation of how other guys look at his girl and say, "Damn! Wanna be your man." And there's nothing worse than an R&B public service announcement (admit it), which explains why "What I'm Looking 4" is so annoying.

It's obvious that RL is trying to be hardcore on here, which explains all the guest spots. Jermaine Dupri shows up on the ridiculous "Ghetto" (by the way, an R&B artist admitting that he's ghetto marks the beginning of the end), and he spits very uncreative lyrics: "I'm G-H-E-T-T-O/Whenever I'm around this is how you flow." JD also appears on "Got Me A Model" along with Erick Sermon. The subject is dumb to begin with (especially when they name supermodels at the end of the song), and neither rapper can do anything but make the song worse...especially Erick, whose style has been weak ever since EPMD's Back In Business. The biggest mistake, however, is the Dr. Dolittle 2 theme "Do U Wanna Roll". Besides the fact that it has nothing to do with the movie, I just want to know whose bright idea it was to sample Zapp & Roger's "Doo Wah Ditty". Instead of the original chorus, Snoop says: "Do you wanna roll/In my 6-4." Hey Snoop, why are you still talking about 6-4's? This ain't 1992.

Production falters elsewhere in the album as well. All-too-familiar handclaps are present in "Ghetto" and especially in "Whatcha Wanna Do", and the end of "Damn!" sounds like somebody forgot to turn off their Apple IIe. But overall, this album isn't really all that disappointing. That's because if you expect nothing special, you get nothing special.