Customer Reviews

Sketches of a Man

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a fan of Neo Soul crooner Dwele and have his previous studio releases "Subject", "Some kinda", and even a bootleg called "Beat dat". However, I must confess, I was totally unaware that he had a new album coming out until I saw it on my Amazon friend Olukayode Balogun's list of recent purchases (thanks bud).

Well, now signed to a different (and independent) label, Dwele releases the music he's always wanted to; experimental, free flowing and from the heart. His music is still jazz infused retro soul with lovely harmonies.

At first, I was taken quite aback when I saw the tracklist; 20 tracks, blimey!!! However, the songs are not too long (with quite a few being interludes, like the lovely acoustic instrumental "70's" with Marvin Gaye-like harmonies, or the horn sprinkled groovy intro which finds him name checking his previous album titles) and the entire CD runs at just over 60 minutes with quite a few songs segueing one into another.

For slower songs, there's the acoustic "Love ultra", the horn peppered pair of "Travelin' girl" and "Vain", the brief Jazzy meandering "Spiritual" and the piano ballad "I'm sorry (wake the music baby)".

"Free as a bird" is a midtempo groovy number with a sketchy bassline, and similar is the sunny "Shady". The horn sprinkled "Feels so good" features a wall of cascading vocals set to a funky bassline. "Brandi" features Slum Village and is a midtempo Jazzy groove about a girl who loves money. The string swathed "If you want to" features Lloyd Dwayne & J. Tait. "A few reasons (truth pt.2)" has a Reggae feel.

Upping the tempo even more are the pair of "Body rock" (which as others have pointed out sounds like something Usher would do, complete with Techno sounding strings in parts) and the brief "Workin' on it". Both feature edgy driving guitar sounds.

Be warned, there's nothing overtly commercial sounding here. It does take a few spins to get into Dwele's new groove but once you do, you'll find it tough letting go.

This album is by far Dwele's best as of yet. He does a great job combining what worked the best on his two previous albums from Virgin while also giving us what allowed "Rize" to get him signed. Tracks like "Body Rock", "Brandi", and "Shady" show great hip-hop influence without sacrificing musicianship. Hearing "Body Rock" one may never even think this is a Dwele track it feels like something Usher would do but Dwele shows us that if he wanted to he could give us some club songs. "Open your Eyes" originally performed by Bobby Caldwell also used in Common's "The Light", might be one of the best songs on the album as it allows Dwele to really showcase his vocal abilities, other songs that showcase Dwele's ranges are "Love Ultra"," Vain", and "Spiritual". Dwele also provides us with the great funk infused jams like "Feel So Good" and "A Few Reasons", a sequel to the classic "The Truth" from Subject. What truly makes this album Dwele's best is the writing he gives us great ballads, several great stories and creative writing in tracks like "I'm Cheatin" where you have to really pay attention. The Slum Village appearance which makes a Dwele album official is there best collaboration since "Tainted" when the world was introduced to Dwele, "Brandi" allows the three to share the track instead of just a rhyme or two after the last hook. This album is definitely a classic and might be the best R&B album of the summer and year, Dwele gave us more than a sketch this is definitely a masterpiece.

Sit still and listen, you can hear it in the winds Dwele has done it again. I am so full from this Cd's I have nothing to say. This year so far hands down this is one of the best cd's of 2008. Dwele makes you the canvass and his words and melodies become the paint by song 20 you see and become part of his artistry. Dwele gave us more than a sketch this is definitely a masterpiece!!!!

Although I consider Dwele to be one of my favorite neo-soul artists, I was a tad bit dissapointed by this release. It has way 2 many short skits on it and some of the rifts just doesn't make sense to me.

I liked subject , but I feel that Some Kinda was his best release yet and he is going to have to work very hard to surpass it's essence. And he also needs to get rid of all of the foul language, it feels out of place with his jazzy style and it turns away a wide range of what could be his audience. And lastly the composer of the beats to his vocals gets an A+.

This CD is great. The tracks blend/melt into eachother like sirup over pancakes. So sad that DWELE doesn't receive the credit he deserves. Get this CD and DWELE's first CD "Subject" (which by the way can be obtained for a great price at amazon). Both are definately platinum material. Soothing and relaxing. Best song imho: "Open Your Eyes" (reminds me of the good old days).

Dwele always delivers. I have all of his CDs and have never been disappointed. One song segways into the next. Always outstanding music beats and lyrics that are easy to relate to. This young cat is in a category of his own.

A lot of people sleep on this Detroit cat, I'm always more than satisfied with his work, if you don't have it, you better go get it with the hurryupness! I'm still bumping this CD from this afternoon.

Now I love me some Dwele; I loved "Subject" because it was down to earth, had some jams and some uniqueness to it. I love "Some Kinda" not only because it played like a move with the segue-ways and the background effects (voices, traffic noise) but it was smooth and a chill record. Both records had structure and were both different from one another. I read the reviews for this album before I got to it, and some people seem to be overly eager to give it 5 stars; I'm not there.
I listened to it and tried to get into it, but I couldn't. I give Dwele alot of respect for being true to his craft and himself and his vocals are never questionable.
For one thing, the album is way too long given that most of the tracks are less than 2 minutes long, I wasn't really sure where he was going with this album. The last album it was about the club, he went to the club, ran into a girl he was feeling, took her home, played her some instrumental music he was working on, phone rang, the other girl called him, he serenaded her, got caught, and by the 6 or 7th track, he was on his knees begging. With this album, people praise him for his experimental take on the album which is pretty good but there is a fine line between experimental and laziness. After two solid albums, I was expecting a bit more solid tracks. When I heard he did a remake of "Open Your Eyes", I got excited. But when I heard it, it didn't really move me to push Repeat after I heard it. The material pretty much ran together, nothing really popped out at me but it was another chill record which I like the most but perhaps it was tooooo chill, tooo relaxed.

A friend of mine turned me onto Dwele years ago with his "Subject" album and I've been a loyal follower since then. I even got to see Dwele on my birthday and he sang to me.

This album will go down as one of his best, along with the others. He takes you on a journey of the relationship between him and his girl (his music). At first listen I was able to pick up that the album is broken into two parts: the first part being the beginnings of the relationships and the second part being past the honeymoon phase of the relationship. The beats on this album are his grassroots. I mean, Dwele makes you feel his music in your soul. "Love Ultra" and "Vain" are my two favorite tracks.

Even if you're just not getting into Dwele, you need to get this album. This will be a guaranteed constant rotation album in my car and iPod. Get yours NOW!

Let me first say that I have loved Dwele since his first album. The love affair followed into the sophomore album....and has now come to a screeching halt for his junior release. From his vocal displays, to his writing, to the production, to the instruments, to the themes and concepts, I see no growth. This is like the melting pot of his first two albums which were blended, brought to a boil, drained, and laid out to dry- dry being the operative word in this analogy. Nothing about the first few tracks encouraged me to continue listening to this album. If this were his first album, I would have received it better, but the first album was so much fresher and livelier. I really want to give this album another shot, but I can't seem to remember where the album may be. While I look for the album I will try to encourage myself to listen with a less critical ear.