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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Carl Thomas presents "Life After Bad Boy" Volume 1 co-starring Mike City, June 12, 2007
I first starting hearing Carl Thomas on hooks to various Bad Boy projects so I figured that he was a new r&b singer that had been signed on to bring more r&b flavor to the label just as Faith Evans, 112 and even Total at times had already done before. The 1st track that I remembered Carl Thomas getting some serious shine on was on "Is This The End" that was featured on Puffy's "No Way Out" CD that also featured Twista & Ginuwine and on the "Been Around The World (Bad Boy Remix)" that also featured Puffy and Mase. I was still interested to see what an actual CD of his sounded like. The first track that I ended up hearing Carl Thomas on was "I Wish". The track was produced by Mike City and Carl was able to sing about a woman who he got involved with that didn't tell him before hand that she was unhappily married with kids. This midtempo jam definitely was one of my favorites at the time.
His debut disc "Emotional" dropped in the year 2000. This CD was in my stereo and car for a long period of time. The title track still is one of my favorite r&b tracks 'til this day. You could hear the emotions coming from Carl like this was an actual experience that he had gone through. This was definitely my favorite track but I also liked the "Anything" (Interlude), "My Valentine", "Giving You All My Love" w/Kelly Price, "Woke Up In The Morning".... let's just say the whole CD. I remember Joe's "My Name Is Joe" coming out around the same time and I would just go back and forth between both CDs.
Carl Thomas made another stellar track "Can't Believe" with Faith Evans, which from what I understood was a remix to the track "Emotional". I am not sure whether it was or not, but the song definitely was the 2nd favorite track that I ever heard Carl Thomas on after "Emotional". Puff Daddy and Mario Winans sampled the "Phone Tap" beat that Nas & The Firm had used on their Dr. Dre produced track and you would have actually thought that Carl and Faith actually had been a couple at one time.
4 years later, that's right 4 years, Bad Boy released Carl Thomas' 2nd disc "Let's Talk About It". The 1st single ended up being a decent midtempo jam in "She Is" and the 2nd single was my favorite track on the CD, "My First Love" that was produced by Just Blaze. My other favorites included "Anything", "Make It Alright", "Work It Out", "All You've Given" and "Rebound". Don't get me wrong I liked the CD but it just didn't have the same emotion that "Emotional" had behind it.
I heard a track that Carl Thomas had with Brandy entitled "Somethin' About You" recently so I was hoping that Puffy was going to release another Carl Thomas CD soon. I didn't know at the time that Carl Thomas had left Bad Boy because he felt like he needed a fresh start. I heard another track "2 Pieces" on the radio and that's when I found out that Carl Thomas was going to release a CD independently.
Carl's 3rd disc "So Much Better" was released on June 5, 2007. I looked through the liner notes of the CD and I saw that Mike City produced the majority of the tracks so I knew the CD would be a good one and I was right. The CD starts off with "Another You" (Steppers Mix). The track is pretty good but you can't help but notice that it sounded like Jaheim performing "Step In The Name Of Love", which isn't a bad thing. However, the original version that appears as a bonus track at the end of the CD does the track better justice. "2 Pieces" ends up being one of my favorites as Carl is admitting his faults that has existed in the relationship but he also knows how he would feel if his woman should ever decide to leave him. "Thought You Should Know" may be worth the price of the CD alone with Lalah Hathaway's vocals also being on the thoughtful slow jam. I remembered that Lalah had a nice track in "When Your Life Was Low" on a CD that she had made with Joe Sample back in the day. "Thought You Should Know" has Carl expressing himself about the way that his lady makes him feel. "Somethin' About You" aims to do the same but it is more of an uptempo track. Brandy shows up on the hook and I have liked this track since the first time I heard it. "If That Ain't Love" has Carl talking about the ups and downs of being in a relationship. If their worth it and you actually care about the other person the ups and downs you'll be able to get through. That's what Carl is discussing on this track. "Late Night Rendezvous" takes place with Carl at a particular club that is about to close for the night. He starts to reminisce about an encounter that he had with a woman and he wonders if she wants to reenact what they did before. If you're a man then you should definitely be able to relate to this track. There is also a version with E-40 at the end of the CD. It doesn't get much better than the title track ladies and gentlemen. Yes the background singers will have you thinking that Jaheim's background singers were hired by Carl Thomas and Mike City but when you hear the excellent songwriting that is performed by Carl you'll forget about that. Carl expresses regret about how he treated a woman that he knew was good to have in his life. Now that he is alone and by himself, he wishes that he hadn't done the things that he did to drive her away. "Oh No(You Can't Be Serious)" definitely has a reggae feel to it. It has a nice beat to it and you will have this track on repeat for awhile. Carl is almost in disbelief as he feels that his woman is seriously thinking about leaving him. Baby Cham also appears on a version of the song on the end of the CD. Mike City works magic on a track that features Carl Thomas and Dave Hollister sharing equal vocals on a song in "Can't Get Over". Carl and Dave display nice chemistry as they talk about a situation where they still think about a particular woman that was good to them in their lives that they had done wrong. "How Can We" is a nice uptempo track that has Carl trying to figure out what he has done wrong to have his woman not to talk to him and not to act the way that she usually does to him. Bryan Michael Cox who I have now dubbed the "Slow Jam Man" after all of his stellar production on various artists CD such as Usher, Mary J. Blige, Joe and others shows up to produce "If You Ever". Carl talks about how people shouldn't walk out on what they perceive to be falling in love. Don't run from it just take things day by day and see what happens. "I Miss You" (Interlude) is a tribute to Carl's brother who died in 2004. This is definitely a quality interlude unlike most interludes that you usually hear on a CD. "Home" is produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and has Carl talking to his children at the beginning of the track and also talking about how much he has missed them since he went on tour. He discusses things that are going on in his relationship and with his kids and how he enjoys having them in his life.
If you purchased this CD from Best Buy you also got the original version of "Another You" which is better than the "Steppers Mix" on Track 2 and "Still Ain't Right" which is a sequel to the track "You Ain't Right" which appeared on "Emotional". The original is better but the track is still worth checking out. Ladies and gentlemen, you won't be able to find too many flaws with this CD which is why I rate it 4 and a half-5 stars. If you're a fan of quality r&b music and you enjoyed Carl's debut CD "Emotional" and his 2nd disc "Let's Talk About It" then you should also pick up "So Much Better".
James' Top 5
1) Thought You Should Know w/Lalah Hathaway
2) If You Ever
3) So Much Better
4) 2 Pieces
5) Oh No (You Can't Be Serious)
Honorable Mention:
Can't Get Over w/Dave Hollister
Home
Late Night Rendezvous
Another You (Original Version)
Somethin' Bout You w/Brandy
Ranking Carl Thomas' Discography
1) Emotional
2) So Much Better
3) Let's Talk About It
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Carl Thomas - So Much Better, June 9, 2007
After a three year hiatus, Chicago singer Carl Thomas returns with his third album "So Much Better" (2007). After listening to R. Kelly's fiasco of an album this week, I was happy to come across this release and find an artist who know's how to make genuine grown up music - avoiding the missteps of his counterparts. Early highlights of this album for me include: the first single "2 Pieces" - which has a soulful Carl Thomas paying tribute to the love of his life and apologizing for past misdeeds, a smooth duet with Lalah Hathaway (Daughter of Donny) on "Thought You Should Know" & and an upbeat love ballad with Brandy on "Somethin' Bout You". "Late Night Rendezvous" is a track which has grown on me some with additional listens, while "So Much Better" is a somber track where Carl Thomas expresses regrets remembering how good life was before a break up. Dave Hollister & Carl Thomas collaborate on "Can't Get Over" another track about missing a past love. Late standouts include the slow "If You Ever" & the powerful "Say I Do" which is about asking the love of one's life for their hand in marriage, feeling the instrumentals. My favourite track on this release is the substantial "Home" - Carl Thomas shines on this outstanding ballad delivering heartfelt vocals, the inclusion of a conversation with his two young children provides additional depth. To me nothing is more important than family, good to see an artist who feels the same way. Bay Area Rapper E-40 & Reggae artist Baby Cham are featured individually on the Remixes of Late Night Rendezvous & Oh No (You Can't Be Serious). "So Much Better" is a quality R & B album worth adding to the collection.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Sleep on Carl!!!, June 6, 2007
There are very few people that are fully aware of this R&B sensation!!! Carl Thomas broke to the scene with his first single "I Wish" from his first album entitled Emotional. He also came out with two more singles from that album, "Emotional" and "Summer Rain." The entire Emotional album is amazing!!! With soulful ballads to upbeat head-knodders... I was very impressed with him.
He later came out with his second album entitled "Let's Talk About It" which included the singles "She Is" and "Make it Alright". Again he puts out a beautiful project, but it seems as though no one is picking up on that!!!
Now he's been off the scene for a few years due to some changes in his business and personal life. He lost his brother and he left Bad Boy Records. I've been long awaiting "So Much Better" for several months and my expectations have been far suceeded!!! He has one single out from this album so far, "2 Pieces." It's not even close to some of the other songs on the album, but it's a nice song. However if you listen to the rest of the album you'll be sure to not only fall in love with the songs, but with the melodic, soothing and silky sound of Carl Thomas' voice!!!!
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