R-N-B IS BLAZIN' THIS SPRING

[JumpinJack AJ]

Alot of good R-N-B has come out recently...and in perfect time 2 chrisen the spring and blaze thru' the summertime. Ain't nuttin' like cruisin' in your car with some new R-N-B blastin'....especially when u have a huney in the passenger seat...ha ha. Here's my sum-up and rating of some recent albums 4 those who like R-N-B or just good music in general.

USHER "Confessions" I love this album. "Yeah!" has blown up. I'm not a fan of Lil' Jon's new stuff...but i do like this song. However, it isn't a good example of the album. The album finds itself in the mid-ground between adult neo-soul and striaght-R-N-B mixed with a dash of radio friendlyness. "Burn" is the new single, a powerful ballad about loving someone but realizing that it wazn't meant 2 be. I'm sure this album will run it's course 4 the next year or so like his past 2 monumental albums. "Confessions Part II,"Throwback," "Superstar" and "Truth Hurts" are some of the stand out trax in my opinion.

TAMIA "More"
Some people are just finding out about her since she did that track "Into You" last summer with Fabolous. Not many people know that it's actually a remix of her own song "So Into You" which waz the 2nd single off her debut album which blazed during the summer of 1998. Tamia gives staight R-N-B the quality that many straight-R-N-B albums have been missing in the past few years. It's just good music. No gimmicks or trends that will make it sound "so 2004" in a few years. Tracks like More, Smile, Officially Missing You (from last summer), and the current single "Questions" are flawless. This album waz supposed 2 come out last fall....but it waz definitly worth the wait.

JANET "Damita-Jo"
This dosen't totally change the game like her last few (which sound nothing like each other). This album is very much like All For You, just new...and really good. "I Want You" is the current single that starts things off. My Baby, Thinkin' 'Bout My Ex, Damita-Jo, Like You Don't Love Me, Spending Time With You are all good.

CARL THOMAS ...i 4get the album title...opps!
Anyways, that single "She Is" with L.L. Cool J is just some good retro-sampled track. The next single "Make It Alright" just dropped. Like Tamia's album, it's timeless R-N-B, no gimmicks or trends in the music. Don't let the Bad Boy name fool u, this cat has skills. "Dreamer" is one of my favs off the album.

MARIO WINANS "Hurt No More"
I love the single "I Don't Wanna Know." When i 1st heard it, i waz mad that they jacked the same sample that the Fugees used on "Ready or Not"...but the track is just 2 good 2 hold that against it 4ever. Love that song!! It's so smooth it makes butter hard as a rock. However, half of the album disappointed me cuz i expected smooth R-N-B but got alot of commercial R-N-B...which isn't bad, i just wanted more smoothed out trax. "Pretty Girl Bull$#*+" from the Bad Boys 2 soundtrack is on there (but defintly not one of the better trax). Good album tho.'

[bigted]

I'd say that R&B's better than hip-hop is right now but nobody's really buying R&B anymore like in the mid ninties when Boyz II Men, TLC, and Blackstreet were going multiplatinum. Janet's still hot after all these years, damn I wish I wasn't workin' that night of the Super Bowl! Usher imitates Michael Jackson's style too much, Mario Winans sounds too Bad Boy ish and commercial, Carl Thomas has a very good voice(he sounds like a young Aaorn Hall, I'd like to hear another Guy album), and Tamia has great vocal range as well but doesn't sell records 'cause she's not controversial. All I gotta say is Grant Hill's a lucky guy to be married to Tamia 'cause she also got a dynamite body! In my opinion, Usher will never touch R.Kelly 'cause R.Kelly's a true innovator of his music, no matter how his personal life is. Jaheim is this generation's Luther Vandross, reppin' Jersey to the fullest, I just hope that the idea of doing an album with Cam'ron ain't true. Edited April 21, 2004 by bigted

[JumpinJack AJ]

I can't agree....R-N-B has always done well, i mean Usher, Destiny's Child, Marques Houston, Musiq, Jill Scott, Ashanti, Ginuwine, Aaliyah, and tons of others have been very big the last few years. With artists like Tamia, they aren't charttoppers, but they have the R-N-B fanbase which is all they really need. Who needs when 12 year olds buying your music when your music isn't 4 them. R-N-B has a very loyal fan base and it's success has never suffered. I'm not talking about R-N-B music on the level of Usher's "Yeah!"...i'm just talking about it as music in general.

R-N-B has definitly been what i've been buying mostly for the past few years cuz their isn't much Hip-Hop coming out that's worth checking out.

I will say that Mario Winans stuff isn't very Bad Boyish. I've never had problem with Bad Boy's R-N-B tho'...i've always liked Faith, Total, 112, Carl Thomas and Mario Winans has a nice classy sound.

[Hero1]

i cant really get with RnB at the moment..i find most of it repetitive and uninspiring.. some soul artists im digging though... kindred the family soul..and amel larriuex have released dope albums that im listening 2 a lot...

[Jazzy Julie]

i probably like more RnB artists thatn hip hop ones. Some of those artists AJ said havnt made it 2 the UK yet but im really into Usher and Janet at the mo, and i heard Mario Winans new song the other day, im really liking that. I think RnB is making up 4 the lack of good hip hop out right now.

and RnB is definalty gettin bigger here in the UK.