lyecry said:

The appeal of TTT was that he was influenced by old soul. In the TTT songs you see that they bought something original to the songs. With his solo material it just seems like he is straight up imitating a song or a sound, and that makes it gimmicky. And of couse people are desprate for some good music, so they'll jump on the badwagon and say that his material is great just because he's "different" from what's out there. Different doesn't always mean good. Honestly, I think he's gotten lazy production wise since 2000. And this is coming from a girl who was obsessed with Sons of Soul, and thought that Ask of You was the most sexy song ever, daydreamed to I Care, and could point out a Raphael Saddiq produced song with her eyes closed. Maybe one day he'll stop worrying about his "image" and start making sincere music again.

[Edited 1/4/11 20:56pm]

You brought out some extremely good points and I agree 100%. I was one that could always tell if Raphael produced the song left and right and while I do remain a fan of his, it seems like that magic, that aura, he created when he was with TTT left years ago. To me, his best solo album to date is "Instant Vintage"...the rest of them "Ray, Ray" and "The Way I See It" consist of more "imitation music" as you said while having a few gems on both albums. They are nothing compared to "Sons of Soul" and "House of Music" with TTT in which I couldn't get enough of every single track on those albums. I haven't given up hope yet, because I do get the feeling that one day, that TTT aura he created, whether he reunites with them or not, will come back. But I don't think it's going to happen with this new album though.

[Edited 1/5/11 4:25am]

silverchild said:

Even though I think he has had a pretty consistent solo career, I don't think he has done anything quite mindblowing since this masterpiece (and this was with 3T):

I actually thought that Instant Vintage, Ray Ray and The Way I See It were great records, but none of them (including his production work and numerous collaborations post-1997) were earthshattering to the point of being deemed as extraordinary. His production values have become quite redundant and he hasn't really changed it up. His involvement on D'Angelo's Voodoo held up, but it seemed like he was just coasting after all of that. And let's not forget Lucy Pearl... But I can't deny this man's work ethnic and legacy. His solo career has been quite interesting, but I will always miss Tony Toni Tone.

too

I like it but what's up with the 60's sound?

Been there.........done that.

Not feeling this at all. Was really hoping for something different. Oh well.

JackieBlue said:

Not feeling this at all. Was really hoping for something different. Oh well.

I feel the same way.Hopefully,there are stronger tunes on the album.

missfee said:

lyecry said:

The appeal of TTT was that he was influenced by old soul. In the TTT songs you see that they bought something original to the songs. With his solo material it just seems like he is straight up imitating a song or a sound, and that makes it gimmicky. And of couse people are desprate for some good music, so they'll jump on the badwagon and say that his material is great just because he's "different" from what's out there. Different doesn't always mean good. Honestly, I think he's gotten lazy production wise since 2000. And this is coming from a girl who was obsessed with Sons of Soul, and thought that Ask of You was the most sexy song ever, daydreamed to I Care, and could point out a Raphael Saddiq produced song with her eyes closed. Maybe one day he'll stop worrying about his "image" and start making sincere music again.

[Edited 1/4/11 20:56pm]

You brought out some extremely good points and I agree 100%. I was one that could always tell if Raphael produced the song left and right and while I do remain a fan of his, it seems like that magic, that aura, he created when he was with TTT left years ago. To me, his best solo album to date is "Instant Vintage"...the rest of them "Ray, Ray" and "The Way I See It" consist of more "imitation music" as you said while having a few gems on both albums. They are nothing compared to "Sons of Soul" and "House of Music" with TTT in which I couldn't get enough of every single track on those albums. I haven't given up hope yet, because I do get the feeling that one day, that TTT aura he created, whether he reunites with them or not, will come back. But I don't think it's going to happen with this new album though.

[Edited 1/5/11 4:25am]

I agree with that point. It seemed as if that Instant Vintage was his only album as a solo artist where you were getting different glimpses of his artistry and approaches. I guess that is why it is his best album as a solo album and he hasn't topped it since. Yeah, he might try to imitate the past, but he can also mix it up with his own unique style of the modern and not try to be too much of a revivalist artist. I really thought that he was coming into his own indentity with that album and I was really feeling the short-lived "gospeldelic" movement, but something happened after that. It seems as if he has just gotten caught up in this retro whirlwind and not offering anything that is of original thought, but trying to recreate and relive the past, which doesn't always work all the time.

Man, I love TTT. But I can't defend the Raphael Saadiq solo albums. Or the Lucy Pearl stuff, which is somewhat better, I guess, but still boring as hell. Boring isn't a problem on this single though, which is pretty nicely done, I think. And what's up with the Prince/Sly comparisons people are making on this thread? I don't hear any Prince influence on the song. Check yo' history, yungins.

silverchild said:

missfee said:

You brought out some extremely good points and I agree 100%. I was one that could always tell if Raphael produced the song left and right and while I do remain a fan of his, it seems like that magic, that aura, he created when he was with TTT left years ago. To me, his best solo album to date is "Instant Vintage"...the rest of them "Ray, Ray" and "The Way I See It" consist of more "imitation music" as you said while having a few gems on both albums. They are nothing compared to "Sons of Soul" and "House of Music" with TTT in which I couldn't get enough of every single track on those albums. I haven't given up hope yet, because I do get the feeling that one day, that TTT aura he created, whether he reunites with them or not, will come back. But I don't think it's going to happen with this new album though.

[Edited 1/5/11 4:25am]

I agree with that point. It seemed as if that Instant Vintage was his only album as a solo artist where you were getting different glimpses of his artistry and approaches. I guess that is why it is his best album as a solo album and he hasn't topped it since. Yeah, he might try to imitate the past, but he can also mix it up with his own unique style of the modern and not try to be too much of a revivalist artist. I really thought that he was coming into his own indentity with that album and I was really feeling the short-lived "gospeldelic" movement, but something happened after that. It seems as if he has just gotten caught up in this retro whirlwind and not offering anything that is of original thought, but trying to recreate and relive the past, which doesn't always work all the time.

Exactly. And it gets old quickly. He should've reversed it, did one album of the retro while expanding on his "gospeldelic" sound.

^^ Yep. I can understand ONE retro vanity project (hell a lotta acts do a covers album as a "tribute to their influences")....

But what he seemed fairly brilliant at doing (on House Of Music & Instant Vintage) was creating retro vibe in the MODERN CONTEXT.

Wish he'd get back to living up to his potential.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I LOVE Lucy Pearl the most out of his post TTT stuff. Whoever disagrees

I thought he could have came harder with the Lucy Pearl material. I was really let down.

JamFanHot said:

^^ Yep. I can understand ONE retro vanity project (hell a lotta acts do a covers album as a "tribute to their influences")....

But what he seemed fairly brilliant at doing (on House Of Music & Instant Vintage) was creating retro vibe in the MODERN CONTEXT.

Wish he'd get back to living up to his potential.

Exactly.

[Edited 1/5/11 12:31pm]

missfee said:

JamFanHot said:

^^ Yep. I can understand ONE retro vanity project (hell a lotta acts do a covers album as a "tribute to their influences")....

But what he seemed fairly brilliant at doing (on House Of Music & Instant Vintage) was creating retro vibe in the MODERN CONTEXT.

Wish he'd get back to living up to his potential.

Exactly.

I agree with that point too. When I first heard these cuts from the triumphant House of Music album and Instant Vintage, I was just amazed...

My ish off of "House of Music" was "Wild Child"...I remember when I first heard that track, I fell in love with Raphael.

[Edited 1/6/11 4:13am]

Hmmmmm...... I see what y'all mean.

It's almost like his retro trajectory time machine ain't got any brakes on it and he keeps goin' back farther.

We've passed Motown and now here comes the Chuck Berry era.

I sure hope the entire album is not like this tune.

But hey, while I was searching that French site for the Raphael piece I stumbled across this Charles Bradley guy.

Talk about a dude who's got the retro thing down! Ima start a whole new thread on im cuz he deserves to be known.

I can't really call him retro because I think he just never left that era. Instead of taking us back I think he's keepin' that era alive.

Check out the Charles Bradley thread.

missfee said:

This was my ish off of "House of Music" was "Wild Child"...I remember when I first heard that track, I fell in love with Raphael.

That's one of my all time fave TTT songs. Very heartfelt with good horns. And I liked Dewayne siging in the backgound. Sounds retro while sill holding some originality.

[Edited 1/5/11 21:28pm]

Rolling Stone has the music video for "Radio" on its site.

Identity said:

Rolling Stone has the music video for "Radio" on its site.

The video is...well different but not different Listening to the song once again makes my ears bleed. This is not something that I would be jamming to in my car....I'm sorry but it isn't. It really makes me want to call up Dwayne and Carl and convince them to kidnap Raphael along with all of their instruments and drive to a recording studio in which the doors will be locked with a dead bolt only to be removed until after they have recorded a whole album.

Sounds like a song by one of the 'Beat' groups in the 60's.

I did like Raphael's retro-soul album he did a few years ago called 'The Way I See It'. Anyone heard his cover of The Spinners 'Its A Shame'?, you can check it out on Youtube here

The song is ok, but I'm pretty sure that video is just an American Outfitters commercial.

missfee said:

Identity said:

Rolling Stone has the music video for "Radio" on its site.

The video is...well different but not different Listening to the song once again makes my ears bleed. This is not something that I would be jamming to in my car....I'm sorry but it isn't. It really makes me want to call up Dwayne and Carl and convince them to kidnap Raphael along with all of their instruments and drive to a recording studio in which the doors will be locked with a dead bolt only to be removed until after they have recorded a whole album.

Yeah...it's like Ray Ray ran off to the crack house the other guys dint think enough to get him on the cellphone & REIGN HIM BACK IN. I blame the OTHER guys in TTT for this mess

I just seen the video. It's obvious he's trying to cross over from lookin at it. He's tryin to get played on MTV (whenever they play videos.) I doubt any of the singles from his last album were played on MTV.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

I just seen the video. It's obvious he's trying to cross over from lookin at it. He's tryin to get played on MTV (whenever they play videos.) I doubt any of the singles from his last album were played on MTV.

The singles from the last album weren't successful nor did its music videos make much of an impact, but the album itself became the biggest seller of his solo albums since his Tony Toni Tone days. This album is gonna be a challenge for him though because I don't think this new single is gonna make that much of an impact. Radio in the U.S. is definitely not gonna play it much. But I do think the album is going to still sell.

His music of late sounds like something & nothing all at the same time. I don't get him. Other people have done retro-esque songs quite successfully, Gnarls Barkley, Lauryn Hill, Prince, Outkast, hell even Solange Knowles. I'd like to like him, but there is no connection.

The single is what it is. I remember not liking "Alphabet Street" when it first came out. Saadiq has given us 20+ yrs of music so he's entitled to have " his moments" . But take this into consideration....regardless of what "we" may think of his "The Way I See It " retro vibe...that joint kept him on the road for 2+yrs, got him on national tv and he landed a scoring gig!

Sure I love for him to expand on his 90's work and sound. But truthfully I'm happy the dude hasn't fallen into Jodeci/Jon B land ! He's still puttin' out music. I for one am gratrful for that!

JQuad said:

The single is what it is. I remember not liking "Alphabet Street" when it first came out. Saadiq has given us 20+ yrs of music so he's entitled to have " his moments" . But take this into consideration....regardless of what "we" may think of his "The Way I See It " retro vibe...that joint kept him on the road for 2+yrs, got him on national tv and he landed a scoring gig!

Sure I love for him to expand on his 90's work and sound. But truthfully I'm happy the dude hasn't fallen into Jodeci/Jon B land ! He's still puttin' out music. I for one am gratrful for that!

True! Despite a few things, you just can't mess with the man's work ethnic and his willingness to produce, write, arrange, and perform his own stuff and for other folks for more than 20+ years in the music business. He hasn't really fallen off the radar, just underappreciated for the masses. I thought the last album, The Way I See It, was a stellar release, but it just felt like another product of the "retro" game many people were going for in the industry. It had no real connection like someone previously said, even though the songs were great. Folks can wear the clothes, imitate the past, and act as if they know what music was like back in the day, but they can never recreate it and think that it is "fresh." That's something Ray Ray and other artists are struggling with now.

[Edited 1/9/11 20:18pm]

Is the video for Radio the same song as Stone Rollin'? (Because he says "I'm stone rollin'" in Radio) I can't seem to find the later on the link provided. Anyway, I like the song in the video quite a bit. It's no more derivative than the entirety of his last album, all of which sounded like cover songs. I like how it sounds kind of raw, too. It doesn't have ANY of the overproduced glossiness of current R&B/soul.

[Edited 1/9/11 20:22pm]

Cerebus said:

Is the video for Radio the same song as Stone Rollin'? (Because he says "I'm stone rollin'" in Radio) I can't seem to find the later on the link provided. Anyway, I like the song in the video quite a bit. It's no more derivative than the entirety of his last album, all of which sounded like cover songs. I like how it sounds kind of raw, too. It doesn't have ANY of the overproduced glossiness of current R&B/soul.

[Edited 1/9/11 20:22pm]

I feel like, if nothing else, this song definitely sounds like a cover to me. But to each his own. I guess that's why everyone has different ears.

See for some reason when I hear Saadiq's "Radio" a strong reminder of this song pops up in my brain:

missfee said:

Cerebus said:

Is the video for Radio the same song as Stone Rollin'? (Because he says "I'm stone rollin'" in Radio) I can't seem to find the later on the link provided. Anyway, I like the song in the video quite a bit. It's no more derivative than the entirety of his last album, all of which sounded like cover songs. I like how it sounds kind of raw, too. It doesn't have ANY of the overproduced glossiness of current R&B/soul.

[Edited 1/9/11 20:22pm]

I feel like, if nothing else, this song definitely sounds like a cover to me. But to each his own. I guess that's why everyone has different ears.

I agree. It's mostly 50s rock n' roll crossed with some very early soul/R&B. But his last album sounded like a 60s cover album from front to back. I was expecting something different from the early press it was getting, but I was also expecting something awful after reading this thread. I would have liked something a little different, but I don't think it's awful.