Customer Reviews

Soulstar

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Musiq is the man. I've been a fan since the 1st album. And he doesn't disappoint me this time out either. Peep the review:

1) Soulstar feat. DJ Aktive & Carol Riddick - Great start to the album. This guy has beats that just demand your attention, especially on this song. It's kind of an intro / warm up song, but it's definitely hot.

2) Youloveme - Okay, this song is far from wack, but I can't find a word to describe it. I know....the word is "skippable". It's typical Musiq, I'm assuming that when most people buy music, they want to hear progression....there was none here.

3) Womanopoly - Nice beat, nice vocals, nice content. I like how he uses the Monopoly game to go from topic to topic on this song.

4) Forthenight feat. AAries - The lead single. You've probably heard it already. But it's one of those feel good songs and it's probably one of the best songs on the album despite its shallow content.

5) Infatueighties - I love the beat to this song. Another feel good song. But, like a good 80% of the album, it's about relationships.

6) Whoknows - This song has a familiar effect. Kind of like "Love" had on the first album. Not as stong as the afforementioned song, but it's still a very strong song.

7) Babymother - I wasn't really feeling this song at first, but the topic was strong and the beat was nice.

8) Missyou - I won't tab this song a "brick", but he came really, really, really, really, really, really close. Mr. Chronic Man must've laced their sack with something else that night before they made this.

9) Momentinlife feat. Kindred The Family Soul & Cee Lo - In my opinion, this is the best song on the album. The beat is hot, the guests shine bright, and Musiq does his thing. Cee Lo sings this song better than any song on his own album.....go figure.

10) Thereason - Tight song. Musiq gives props to the people that helped him get to where he is. The beat is nice too.

11) Dontstop feat. Bilal - Not a bad song, but it's one of the few skippable songs on this album. The beat is hot though. I'd give the song a 7 on a scale of 1 - 10.

12) Her - Nice beat, nice vocals, but the content is so so. Again, he's singing about a woman.

13) Whereareyougoing - This song has an old school feel to it, but it's not boring. It's a mood song though. If you're not in the mood, you'll skip it.

14) Romancipation - Not a bad song, but it sounds like typical Musiq. It's a skippable song.

15) Givemorelove / Leaveamessage(Bonus Track) - Givemorelove is a great song, but Leaveamessage is kind of boring. It's not bad, but definitely skippable. The beat flips throughout the song though, and that keeps things interesting.

Overall, the CD is a nice progression from his last album. Hey strays away from the "Aijuswannasing / Juslisen" formula on this album. But I mean that in a good way. If he keeps selling the same product, won't you eventually get tired of him? He went a different direction and managed to keep it fresh. Ya gotta switch things up sometimes, and he did just that. 4 stars for the soulstar.

The birth of so-called "neo soul" was a fresh alternative from much of cliched modern r&b. Artists like Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, and Maxwell helped changed the way we listen to music by fusing innovative beats with flashes of 1970s old school soul. It worked for the first few years before the genre started to get lazy creatively. Musiq (hold the Soulchild) has put out a string of solid singles, but he's been criticized by some for using the boho look for credibility. I, for one, have been able to give Musiq the benefit of the doubt and actually found his last two records (particularly the first) reasonably good, if hardly earth-shattering. But on his third album "Soulstar," some of the magic is missing and much of the freshness is gone. Listening to this record is like eating a loaf of French bread a couple days old: it's still edible but somewhat stale. No doubt, the material is listenable and enjoyable; you won't be hitting the "stop" button on nice cuts like the title track, "Womanopoly," and the title-says-it-all ballad "Babymother." Paradoxically, "Soulstar"'s best track is one Musiq didn't even write: a street smart re-working of the Rolling Stones classic "Miss You." But while much of the album is decent, we find Musiq wearing his influences on his sleeve all too openly. Until he comes into his own and drops the Stevie Wonderisms, Musiq may someday record an album that's great instead of one that's merely okay.

To be able to appreciate this album you have to appreciate, originality,soul,good music and of course Musiq. Soulstar is my favorite album of the three which is a hard decision to make. Soulstar is Musiq doing what Musiq loves, making music. It's and experimentation of sound and lyrical content. Introducing you to the third cd is "Soulstar", laced with the smooth and haunting vocals of Carol Riddick Musiq get's your heart pumping. He then pulls you in with "You Love Me", a cocky yet cute track that makes you wanna dance and you actually find yourself saying, "Yes, I do love you". The highlights of Soulstar are without a doubt, "Miss You" a remake of the Rolling Stones hit which he does more than to, "Who Knows", "The Reason" and radio smash hit "Forthenight". It's a must have for anyone with a a passion for good music. Over 70 mintues of pure entertainment worth more than the cost.

peace - jm

Once in a while an album comes along where not only can u enjoy it from front 2 back, but in the process, it touches your soul. A body of work so powerful and true 2 itself that it affects your current perception on what quality music should be and sets a standard 4 artistry that just can't be duplicated. Musiq's latest effort (or should I say, "accomplishment") is a collection of 15 separate moments in soul in which he bends his tradition of soulful sounds without breaking it. "Soulstar" is what u get if u put Aijuswannseing and Juslisen in a blender with fried chicken, sweet potatoes, collard greens, biscuits, candied yams and catfish. That's just how much soul this album delivers.

The 1st song that may grab your attention, if not 4 it's sheer creativity but it's captivating lyrics is "womanopoly". It's the story of a young, ambitious sista moving on up 2 Park Place while trying 2 avoid "Chance" and hold on to a share of the "Community Chest" while attempting 2 avoid all the pitfalls in this sometimes cruel game of life.
On the beautiful ballad "whoknows", Musiq embraces the vulnerability and uncertainty that accompanies the start of a new relationship as well as the infinite possibilities of one.
"Thereason" is an introspective look back on his ongoing relationship with his first love that is music and challenges the listeners 2 see that he's actually singing 2 music...not a woman which is typically the 1st thought.
On "babymother", Musiq bluntly travels down the road of unplanned and unexpected parenthood and the decisions, fear and confusion that many can relate 2 that come along 4 the ride.

Soulstar is not simply just an album. It's an experience. It's a journey through soul with stops @ funk, jazz and rhythm and blues along the way.
Although it was a late entry among a ton of other quality albums released in 2003, without confining it 2 any specific genre, Soulstar gets my vote 4 album of the year and I'm sure his light will continue 2 shine on the world.

I don't know why these people on this page are hating on this album so much. I can listen to it straight through, over and over again. The tempo, mood, and topics change throughout. I actually enjoy this album more than his previous two. I'm surprised there were no "hits" on this album. But if you need to hear "hits" on the radio in order to think something is a valuable piece of music, you don't deserve to be writing reviews. Standout tracks to me are "thereason", "forthenight", and the disc opener: "soulstar". I'm not even joking, I am listening to this album as I type this. I can't wait to hear Musiq's next album.

i have to say i'm looking at the last 3 reviews and i am shocked let me say you 3 are the 1st i have heard to comment negatively about this cd.......maybe you were expecting more of the same from musiq which is unfortunate......upon first listen its so obvious that musiq and the carmui production team has taken it to the next level.....with the exception of track #8 miss you, this cd is hands down the musiq's best to date.....from "thereason" which is musiq's ode to music to "whereareyougoing" to the long anticipated collobaration of musiq and his brother from philly on "dontstop/her" to the uplifting "momentinlife" and then you get to 2 songs that follow each other back to back "whoknows" and "babymother" musiq shows by placing these songs back to back musiq shows life isn't a fairy tale while you are floatin from the beautiful lyrics, vocals, and chord changes of "whoknows" "babymother"instantly brings you to a reality that alot of people have faced and i applaud musiq for that. "whoknows" just follows in the tradition of musiq's 1st 2 great ballads "love" and "dontchange". what i love about musiq the most is that he makes music that lasts a lifetime instead of following the trend of making right now music like every1 else.....and to you haters i wish you guys could just recognize greatness when its presented to you.....ONE

Loverman, funkster, beatmeister - all this and more describes Musiq, who along with Jill Scott and the Roots have completely revitalized the Philadelphia soul scene.
On his 3rd album, Taalib "Musiq" Johnson takes a giant leap forward - his songwriting skills have improved strongly with each album, and on Soulstar he has emerged from the "Stevie shadow" with a signature style and some great tunes. And his voice is stunning on this disc - Maxwelll finally has a competitor for the best young voice in soul."Fortnight" is getting plenty of radio play at the moment, and deservedly so. It's a great tune, full of 80's style soul, great guitar work. And it isn't even the best tune on this record. For that, go directly to "Momentinlife", which features Philly faves Cee-Lo and Kindred the Family Soul (incidently, I'll plug Kindred here again - the BEST new group of the year, and sadly overlooked by the Grammys). "Momentinlife" features vocals that you just don't hear on radio nowadays - the interplay between Musiq, Aja and Fatin are as good as anything you have heard in the last 5 years.
Musiq can get funky as well, and he turns in a big win with "Dontstop", which teams him up with another Philly great, Bilal (in fact, it seems the only Philly stars missing from this project are Jill Scott and Vikter Duplaix). This is a classic dance jam, and Bootsy would be proud of the funk track this tune generates.
The only miss on this disc is a remake of the Rolling Stones "Miss You" - the song just doesn't rise to the level of the rest of this disc.

This is the first album I've heard from Musiq and my breath was taken away. The man of neo-soul created a great 3rd album. With songs like Whereareyougoing, Youloveme, Womanopoly, Thereason, there is no doubt that Musiq is music's prodigal son.

first of all, i don't even know where to start. this man must be from another planet because when he sings, i swear i drop everything and listen. yes, this is true. this album is brilliant(so is everything he creates)! the more i hear him, the more i'm sucked in. from the moment you put the cd in, you can tell it's a classic. it's hard to find inspiring music nowadays, so when you hear it, you know it. i can easily sit back and rate each song as 5-stars. no problem. it's hard to pick a favorite track because the whole joint is bangin'! "thereason", his ode to music(listen again if you don't believe me) is probably one of the best songs i've ever heard(EVER)! his cover of the rolling stones classic, "imissyou"(heart-pounding), "womanopoly"(lyrical genius), "her"(makes you wish you were HER). i could go on and on about this album and i'd never run out of good things to say. i've met him twice and he's just as cool as he makes you believe he is. now i'm just waiting for him to make the next two cds so i can fill up my changer. then i'd truly be in MUSIQAL bliss.

I may be a bit biased because I have loved Musiq's style and vibe of soulstirring melodies since day one. He hits the spot with tunes such as "Forthenight", "Infatueighties", "Missyou", "Dontstop","Babymother" and three of my favorities on this particular album "Whoknows", "Momentinlife" and "Thereason". He of course can't drop a joint without giving us something to think about with "Givemorelove/Leaveamessage". In this day and age of downloading and CD burning it's worth the money you spend trust me on this one! You can't go wrong with getting this album for yourself or givng as a gift.I love Musiq's music and he will have a fan in me for life. I am just waiting for the tour! :)