Customer Reviews

Subject

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have been hearing some of Dwele's work here and there through guest tracks on other artist CDs. Every track he seemed to be on (Slum Village, T-love), the joints were hot.
So when I bought the CD, I had a picture in my mind of what I was expecting since I never even heard a single out for this album. I was expecting it to be pretty good not getting my hopes up too much.
Open package..put in CD..first track on...a little talking going on (expected in intros). Then the beat kicks in. Its hard to explain but this beat has to be one of the cleanest, tightest, whatever -est word I cant think of i have heard in a good while. Its the type of beat that makes you pick up your CD and take out the cover to see who produced this gem. Personally, I was thinking Jay Dee because it had the styling of a Jay Dee beat. I was taken aback by the fact that it was Dwele who produced his own joint. Back to the Intro..Dwele comes on with his playeristic flow, which blends perfectly to the bass heavy beat. This is surely a joint that could hold its own in a club or in constant playback mode on your own CD player and its only the intro.
As track by track went by, I had no urge to press the skip track button once. There are many gems on this album. To name a few: "A.N.G.E.L. w/ Slum Village", "Subject", and "Poppa Yo (Intro)". I could go on and on about this album but you should cop this yourself and find more.
The only complaints I can really think of is that Dwele's lyrics are not "deep" like some people would like them to be. Personally, I can do without the deepness.
I can easily say this is the best album I have bought this year in terms of R&B and the best since D'Angelo and Bilal.

This one really wins with me. Solid R&B, and man, do we always need more of that. You've heard him you just didn't know it was him. He's done plenty of hip-hop background vocals and favors the heavy harmonic layering of Marvin Gaye as a key production value, while the music bubbles underneath with a heavy Jay Dee/D'Angelo vibe without being a rip-off.

I also dug up just about all of the stuff from his demo and earlier, unofficial "Rize" EP...the guy has about three albums worth of material floating around if you can score it. And while the "Rize" material is good stuff on par musically with the material off of the released "Subject" record, "Subject" is a better record. The grooves are more polished, there's more focus to the overall vibe and the lyrics don't go where some of the early stuff did (early track "So Fly" comes immediately to mind...excellent take on Stevie's "Too High" music, but the lyrics are fairly crass in spots). So I'm really into this cat, and having the other stuff sort of pads out the experience as well.

Dwele offers up a refreshing debut effort with lush harmonies, creative instrumentation and ingenious lyricism. The problem is that in todays music climate good black music gets pushed out of the way for the popular garbage that we hear on the radio today.
Dweles first single "Find A Way" is a nice uptempo track that finds him searching for a way to get the love he had with his woman back. The gems on this album are "Without You" a track that makes one think of sunny beaches and summer fun while being in love with that special someone. The title track to the album "Subject" is an unorthadox track that speaks of someone who admires the uniqueness of their love interest, this track has a weird cell phone like undertone that works. My favorite track on the album is "Let Your Hair Down", a track that is both uplifting to those who are down on their luck and those who find themselves ailing from a lost love. Dwele handles most of the production on the album and he is a very gifted arranger and producer. I think it is a shame that many black musicians like Dwele never get a chance to show their talents to the world because of the manopoly that cut and paste artists have on the airwaves today. All in all Dwele has given us an album that is relaxing, uplifting, and theraputic.

I been up on Dwele's presence since '99 when he appeared on Bahamadia's BBQueen EP "Philadelphia". Ever since then I've been intriged by all the work he's done as a solo artists as well as those he's done with Slum Village,T-Love,Raphael Saddiq,etc.My personal favorite on the "Subject" album is "Poppa Yo" eventhough it is an intro it should be released as a single, because it has the potential to be a slow jam club banger n' the beat is just hypnotizing!

I am in love with this cd. It's the type of music where you just sit back and relax and let the whole cd play. The lyrics are great. He sings about what he knows and what he's been through. I would recommend this cd to everyone. I would suggest not to compare it to other artists. Just take it as it is.

This CD got mixed reviews from a couple of cats and I can agree on the pros and cons. But if you are looking for something different, looking for talent, looking for good production and a great singer.....you have found Dwele.

People will compare him to Musiq and the rest of the roster of neo-soul singers, but I think Dwele's vibe is very different, I won't say better or worse, but just different. Heavy R&B influence, nice harmonies (he loves to sing in flat octaves), and a unique way of singing (off beat), will keep your interest in this CD.

Its a different sound from what you hear on radio and will be music to your ears....check it out.

I actually known Dwele for so long now since I seen do the song "Find A Way" back in 2003. He actually has talent. He's actually sounded most of my pioneers I would call today...Donnie Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder (my labelmate and inspiration), Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Alicia Keys, Musiq, Dave Hollister, Brian McKnight (which is my favorite idol), Jon B., Tribe Called Quest, just to name a few.

We all remember him from doing a duet w/ my group Slum Village in "Tainted" from there CD "Trinity: Past, Present and Future",
and doing 'nother song w/ my man and favorite rapper Kanye West.
He does a plethora of mixed styles you can name...Whether is jazz, R&B, hip-hop, neo-soul, etc. He can do it all man, know I'm mean.

I think he deserve's an A+ 4 that 'cause this CD is rollin' and is definitely a classic. I'd just rather get it on a low club price for $7.99 at CDNOW.com on Amazon so it might be a lil cheaper than it was before.

I know he's gon roll it in the new millenium. Recommended to everybody who loves R&B, soul, jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul, whatever and/or mos lightly to be apart of the Black music world.

This is the album of the year. Dwele is the best singer on the planet. Every cut is off the charts. This music deserves to be heard by every R&B lover. Your days of suffering through the simpleminded beats and lyrics of R. Kelly and Joe are over. Dwele is the most underheard and underappreciated artist while being the most talented artist out.

Dwele is the man as another reviewer stated.. I play this cd everyday when I get in my car after work... He's someone who will be in the game for a long time.. I wish more people would get up on him and get this cd... I also told a friend about his cd and he went out and got it and of course LOVED IT Too!
Dwele keep your head up you got some fans here in Chi-town...
who will always be listening...

Scarletjazz

My aunt told me that I should check this c.d out and I saw it in Circuit City for only $9.99 so I got it. I was very impressed. From the first song "Poppa yo", I was sucked in. One of my favorites is "Kick out of you", I really love the jazzy sound of that song. The entire c.d had a flowing, smooth sound and it can be listened to in all types of settings. I don't know why the c.d is so inexpensive, but I would have paid more than $9.99 for it because it's definitely worth a lot more.