Soulstar

Musiq (Soulchild)

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 9, 2003)
• Original Release Date: December 9, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Def Jam
• ASIN: B0000DZFL2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  DVD Audio  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (120 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,026 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Soulstar

2. Youloveme

3. Womanopoly

4. Forthenight

5. Infatueighties

6. Whoknows

7. Babymother

8. Missyou

9. Momentinlife

10. Thereason

11. Dontstop

12. Her

13. Whereareyougoing

14. Romancipation

15. Givemorelove/ Leaveamessage

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

No getting around it--Musiq (who drops the "Soulchild" half of his moniker this time out)--really, really sounds like Stevie Wonder. On Soulstar, though, tracks such as "Momentinlife" channel the great man with such beauty and good nature that a listener can't help but just go along with it. The Philly-bred Musiq makes other disarming moves like asking point blank "You love me, don't you, girl?" and making silly allusions to a certain board game on "Womanopoly," which is nonetheless a celebration of its female subject's climb out of hard times. And following on from his previous disc's cover of George Harrison's "Something," he takes on the Stones with a no-excuses-needed take on "Miss You" (note the album's busiest bass line). Only the most rabid fan would claim that Musiq equals even a second-level Stevie effort, but while this plays, it's hard to argue with its vibe. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shining Soulstar (4 stars), March 10, 2004

By	Norfeest "Yes Yes Y'all" (Washington DC USA) - See all my reviews

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.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Musiq on Cruise Control., December 14, 2003

By	The Groove (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definition of a Soulstar..., October 27, 2005

By	J. Mccray "jazz" (Phila,PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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