I’ll be real. Musiq had me worried for a minute, especially after this interview with The Breakfast Club as his rap alter-ego ‘The Husel.’ I’m all for exploring different dimensions of artistic expression, but as a fan, I thought, “don’t nobody wanna hear you rap, Musiq!” When I saw him in concert late last year, he sang brilliantly the entire time, including all of our favorites, plus some new tracks. And when I heard that a new album was slated to come out, I was hoping and praying that The Husel wouldn’t make an appearance. Before I even realized the album had dropped, my music theory professor was emailing me to tell me it was fire. Even though I was still hesitant, I grabbed a copy off of Google Play.
A few years ago, I was really sad about mainstream music. To be blunt, I felt like it sucked. I can always find good music, but listening to the radio was just disheartening. I turned it off. As if the universe has heard my complaints about how non-singers were taking over music, D’Angelo dropped a fire return album, Jazmine Sullivan came through with the awesome storytelling and vocals, BJ The Chicago Kid became an astounding frontman, then Tweet resurged, Brandy went OFF on “Beggin’ and Pleadin,” and Maxwell announced his first album in seven years.
Y’ALL. Since then, I had been feeling so much joy, and was convinced that anyone who said that good music wasn’t out there just wasn’t looking for it. Then entered Musiq Soulchild, the man whose music I had grown up on and who I emulated in my own singing and writing, but who had left me feeling disillusioned about the prospect of longevity in the industry without diluting or dismissing my brand along the way.
But right from the first track on Life on Earth, this album blazes! In an era when genre-bending is the go-to thing, Musiq comes through with the authentic R&B/neo-soul flame. However, this isn’t to say that his sound is dated. Songs such as “Loving You” take trap beats and pad sounds to bring the production forward, but keep with a classic Musiq Soulchild story and prose. My favorite track on the album is a song called “Far Gone,” featuring the dynamic emcee, Rapsody. I’m always amazed by Musiq’s ability to write a-million-and-one love songs that resonate with true situations, never feel repetitive, and always feel like a Musiq track. How does he do it? His musicality is something that I aspire to. On “Far Gone,” Rapsody is a pleasant surprise, coming in with her blunt and unapologetic voice and lyrics. She tackled love for the people on Kendrick Lamar’s album, but here she tackles the struggle of romantic love with the same thoughtfulness.
What baffled me at the end of listening to Life on Earth is why he would make “I Do” the lead single on this album. Although it is reminiscent of classic Musiq, it’s not the best song or even the most sonically-alluring track. My hope is that people can have the trust that as he’s given us multiple classic albums, he has not let us down with this newest offering. The album is amazing, and I don’t have to remind you of the importance of supporting these artists with your dollars. Make sure you download or pick up this album. Pay for it. It’s worth it. Plus, The Husel doesn’t make one appearance.
