702 - No Doubt album review
702’s album No Doubt is album that hardly ever gets mentioned when people bring up 90s music. The album seems to have been long forgotten and out of people’s heads. This is the album that will bring back nostalgic childhood memories or the fun times in college. For those who don’t remember, Las Vegas based group 702 put out sultry love ballads and soundtrack hits such as Steelo, All I Want, No Doubt, Get It Together, and Word Iz Bond. Overall 90's R&B/soul can never be touched! We need to bring back that vibe.
Get Down Like Dat has a very urban sound which meets sultry R&B/soul. The sound of the streets meets R&B. Missy Elliott raps and ad-libs all over the song.
Get Down Like Dat samples Barry White - Strange Games & Things and Suzanne Vega - Tom’s Diner. The funky bass line is what samples Barry White - Strange Games & Things. The instrumentation arrangement is perfect in timing to follow the used samples.
For those who did not know, Meelah sings and copies the musical notes from Suzanne Vega - Tom’s Diner as both her and Missy ad-lib over Da-da-da-da-da-da-da the verse. For the most part however, Meelah is one who is singing the musical notes from Tom’s Diner. Not everyone noticed that sample, recognized, or acknowledged it.
Steelo is the song that was a gold hit with a platinum sound. Their sultry soul sound with soothe your ears. The song was used as the introduction for the Nickelodeon TV show Cousin Skeeter. Missy Elliot is the one who produced Steelo and did the rapping. This is back when she had her hands on everything. Missy can do no wrong when it comes to production, rapping, and songwriting as well as singing.
Now the term Steelo refers to style as in “I like your style.”. Except in this case style is replaced with steelo. For example “I like your steelo.”. Steelo is slang for style. Missy Elliot is the one who coined the term steelo. Missy Elliott came up with this term during her weed smoking sessions back when she was a part of Devante Swing’s Da Bassment Crew and Swing Mob Productions back in the 90s.
All I Want is a song everyone can relate to. Everyone wants someone to talk to. Someone who will listen to what they have to say. People need and want is some special attention. Someone who will mention the special things in them. These are things we as human beings. We all want these things when being in a relationship from what 702 mentions. Chorus to this song sums that up pretty well.
The song was used in the soundtrack for the Nickelodeons’s Good Burger movie from 1996. The movie is what made this song into a hit with platinum sound. One thing is for sure is that All I Want will bring back nostalgic childhood memories. Overall this song has a retro nostalgic feel and vibe.
All I Want has that child friendly pop vibe to it which is no coincidence because the song samples Jackson 5 - It's Great To Be Here. Verse 1 uses the cadence of Rick James - Mary Jane. The cadence was inspired by Rick James - Mary Jane. The lyrics “He'll keep me going on/I’ll know him when he comes/He'll be my number one” are what follow the cadence of Mary Jane.
Get It Together is a 702 slow jam with a relaxing vibe and a calm mood. This song is what chills and calms the album’s mood down. Get It Together was written and produced by Donell Jones.
The song is about the questionability of staying or going into a relationship that is already troublesome. Getting it together in a relationship is important if you want to maintain a long lasting relationship. You wonder if you should stay or go. People take love for granted sometimes.
Round & Round has a hip hop vibe laced over a soulful soundscape. Missy’s ad-libs add to the hip hop vibe. So there is no coincidence the lyrics have a hip hop vibe laced with urban sound due to the fact this song samples Notorious BIG - Machine Gun Funk. Missy can do no wrong when it comes to singing, rapping, and songwriting.
Round & Round is another 702 song which should have been a single as well as Finding My Way. Motown dropped the ball on this song and Finding My Way by not making them into singles.
Word Iz Bond has a hip hop vibe which meets sultry R&B. A bit funk is added to the soothing mixture of R&B. Shyheim is featured on Word Iz Bond.
The song begins during morning time. Meelah woke up and called her girls as she didn’t want to wake her man. She says, “Let's chill today. Go out and play. Get in the car and let's cruise around the way in Las Vegas, Nevada.” The song Word Iz Bond is the lead song which is playing on the stereo system. The sound is so soothing. It’s got the kids on the block bumpin’. Got more funk in the trunk and it's funkin’!
Here Meelah is chillin' with her girls. Her and the girls know the time before they enter. Now they are flirting with the guys as they themselves cool with the girls. No members, just money. This is how 702 do. Cuz they keep it goin' on in Las Vegas, Nevada. 702 be chillin' to the break of dawn.
702 be chillin' with the hottest phat funk fashion. Donna Karen, that's the gear they be wearin’. 702 dedicated this song to all their peeps on the street. We gotta stay strong. Word iz bond.
Shyheim shine like diamonds on some straight Lariems. On the Benz glidin' through smoke foggy wind. Lay back in the Coupe. Peep Dom P's in the bright pink and white rover. Someone creeps up on the side of him. He is pointing to the nearest corner for a shorty to pull it over. She cracked a smile. He almost crashed the Benz. He blinked again and she was gone that fast.
Orish takes charge of being the lead on the song Not Gonna by taking charge and control over the lead vocals. This is one of the songs by 702 where Orish Grinstead takes charge instead of Meelah Williams.
Orish has to find her a new guy who is supa fly. Her previous companion had caused her too many problems. It was so stupid of Orish to take him back into her life so easily She is going out of my mind to take him back for the second time. Her previous companion had caused her so much heartache and pain. She wonders, “Why must you put me through so much heartache and pain?” “Tell me. Am I insane to let you do me this way?”
She is not gonna take him back because she don't play that. Because no matter what he says, he treats love like a game. How dumb could she be to think that he loved her?
Orish knows she has got to find a new guy. She can’t put up with his lies anymore. He broke her heart and put a burden on her. Orish feels so torn apart. She is not gonna take him back this time around. She don’t play that. No matter what he says, he treats love like a game.
Now Finding My Way was a good way to close out the album. The song has a calming mid tempo vibe. The song is straight up sultry in nature and sound! Not to mention relaxing. This is one of those songs that will have you nodding your head to the beat as the song plays. It's better to play this song at night. The song is perfect to play as a slow jam during midnight despite being mid tempo. The beats in this song will hit you every single time you hear this.
The “finding my way” sample portion of this song is appropriate enough to be used on an answering machine or for a voicemail message. “Please leave a message and I will be finding my way back to you.” Some people even used this song as their voicemail message on their answering machines.
The song Finding My Way serves as a reminder that life can be so simple before getting too complicated. Especially when it comes to love. Finding My Way is about moving your relationship to a higher ground by finding your way back to the person you love(d). Also this song about a woman who wanted a man that she could grow with and mature with over time.
For those who did not know, Meelah is that one who sings in the lead vocals and at the beginning. It is not Trisha singing the lead vocals.
I hate that Finding My Way never got any air play on the radio stations. Finding My Way had potential to be another gold hit on the radio as it had Babyface sound on top of sultry 90s R&B. Motown dropped the ball on this song by not making it into a single. The song could been spawned into a music video as well.
You know you want to move your relationship to a higher ground. Somehow you know we'll end up together. Yet all that comes into your mind is that there are so many feelings to deal with.
The chorus explains the emotions that come into you head.
[Chorus]
Where do we go from here
Can we face our fear
Into a love again, and remain friends
You wonder, “Where do we go from here?”. “Can we face our fear? Can we go get into a love again and remain friends?” You’ll be finding your way back to the person you love. You want to create a future and build a life that you can share with the person you love. That's what it's about. That's just what it will be. This song serves as a reminder that life can be so simple before getting too complicated.
5/5*****!!
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702 - Star album review
702’s 2003 album Star went fairly unnoticed and was also very much overlooked by many fans of R&B/soul music. The album has that futuristic electronic sound with production from She'kspere and Pharell Willams of The Neptunes which was perfectly suitable for its time period.
Motown dropped the ball on 702 by failing to promote the Star album at all. Star had bad sales due to lack of promotion and advertising. No wonder the album failed to chart on the BillBoard. Yet somehow despite no promotion, the album was nominated for a Soul Train Lady Of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year - Group, Band or Duo in 2003.
Now if Motown had focused on promoting this 702 album properly and not just putting it out there, then Star would actually have been a platinum success and not just another R&B/soul album that was overlooked and overshadowed by other female groups. The absence of Missy Elliott and her production sound is probably another factor as well.
Let Your Hair Down sounds very off key and out of tune. The instrumentation overlaps the vocals too much. The musical notes are very off key along with the signing. When you're up in the club and don't wanna get crunk, let ya hair down. But don’t listen to the song. Overall the song is terrible. It was a terrible way to start off the album with. Honestly the song Star should have been chosen as the first song instead of Let Your Hair Down.
Let Your Hair Down reminds us to just have a good time. Just relax and let the tension unwind. Quit stressing your looks and rock to this hook. Your attitude ain't even wanted. The chorus is simple.: “When you're up in the club or wanna get crunk/let ya hair down”
Star is the title track and hit song for this album. Pharell Williams of The Neptunes produced Star with his futuristic polished electronic production. Breakdown of the beats are smooth and epic. Honestly this song should have been a smash hit! It’s that good!
Star charted at #49 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Chart. In 2003, Star reached #3 on the charts for US R&B. Star also got nominated for a Soul Train Lady Of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Single - Group, Band or Duo. Sadly this song remains very much overlooked to this day.
Feelings is a song about how infatuation gets people doing strange things. Infatuation can have people loosing control. You have a person you love who is on your mind. You can’t live without them and you can’t let them go. Maybe you should just face it. This can't be circumstance. You’re in disbelief so many feelings. Love deserves a chance. Feelings. Nothing but these funny feelings. Everything about them is appealing. You feel these emotions so drastically. You feel infatuation.
Rhyming scheme for some of the lyrics in this songs are appropriately fitting. Analyze the lyrics below to get a better understanding.:
Only you on my mind
And it's hard to define
What makes me into you
Just like Venus and Mars
We were written in the stars
Thinkin' we should continue
I Still Love You was another 702 song which was produced by Pharell Williams of The Neptunes. The song I Still Love You was featured on the Malibu's Most Wanted soundtrack. The song I Still Love You samples DeBarge - I Like It.
Everybody needs someone by their side. Love is so simple. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. This should be known by the common person. Everybody needs a person for them to love and need. That is what this whole love song is all about.
Better Day (Ghetto Girl) is the story about a ghetto girl living in a ghetto world. The song has a mood of sadness hence the vibe. The song itself has a poetic vibe. It feels as if you are reading a poem from a poetry book when you listen to this 702 song. The song deals with pain of living in the ghetto.
She is against the world alone by herself. Problems in her ordinary life make her want to run away and hide. She can never get it right. She is surrounded by pain and empty dreams. Sadness and despair. She’s so alone living in the ghetto.
Like the seasons when they change, nothing ever stays the same. So she prays. She is praying for a better day. There’s gotta be a better day and a better way. She is trying to find a better way. Finally she had enough.
See many times she didn’t have a dime when the bills would multiply and keep growing. She has even contemplated suicide. This ghetto girl could not rely on her mother for emotional support or financial support. Her father sexually abused her way too much for to go back to him. That is what these lyrics mean, “And momma never had that special touch Her daddy touched her way too much”
She was a little ghetto child and then she turned her life around. At the end of her song is where she turned her life around. She found another way.
Jealousy is a song which deal with people whom are jealous. Theme for this song is jealousness.
People who are jealous don’t want others to be happy. They're just wishing they could be them. They're just wishing they could be them you. Or someone else. Some people are full of envy and jealousy.
The first verse sums up jealousy very well.
(Verse 1)
They say you're bad for me
They say you're no good
Don't want us happy
I say it's jealousy
Could be me
They don't even know you. Watching you every move as if they follow you. They have too much extra time on their hands. Really they don't know what they're talking about.Don't even look at them as friends. More or less acquaintances. They're so quick to backstab you. It's happened to me many times. Their attempts trying to turn me against you are terrible.
I don't see why they can't just leave us alone instead of always trying to break us up. You'd think they wanna find a love of their own. But they don’t.
The song Trouble has a Latin music feel to it due to usage a single acoustic guitar. A single acoustic guitar resonates with the reverb echo. The beat is smooth. Trouble contains excerpts from Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie.
Reality is a down to Earth song about the subject itself. There is so much more to life than just hanging out. You don't know what other people go through. Some people think they wanna live this life. People see the fame but they don't know the price. They don’t know or understand the realities of a star. It ain't that easy.
4/5****!
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INOJ - Time After Time/Love You Down single review
INOJ - Time After Time/Love You Down was a single that was released internationally in 1998. Columbia put forth much effort promoting this single as others songs were international hits across the globe.
INOJ released a cover version of Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time under Columbia Records in 1998 as a single which was produced by Lil Jon. The song was a radio hit back in 1998! It was played everywhere back in 1998 due to its dance pop sound.
However this cover version of Time After Time is much more uptempo meaning that this version is 132 BPM with a time signature of 4|4. Time After Time was produced using 808s and 404s. Not no 808’s and heartbreaks. The organ used gives the song a holy religious feel to it with angelic guitar notes for backing the dance pop vibe and sound.
This version of Time After Time has a different breakdown in terms of lyrics. But some of the lyrics were retained from the original version. Read the breakdown.: “And you say, go slow/I fall behind/The 808's on time” There is something nostalgic about Time After Time. This is a type of song that will remind you of your childhood, high school, or the college years. So it brings back a lot of memories to many people.
The single went from selling just a few thousand copies from being certified gold by the RIAA in just weeks back in 1998. The song was a top charting hit in several countries. For example, Time After Time was a Billboard Top 10 hit in the United States (#6), Canada (#7), and New Zealand (#10). Radio stations played the hell out of Love You Down in Atlanta, Georgia.
Love You Down is a cover song of Ready For The World - Love You Down except this version is a lot more upbeat and fast paced than the original. The Miami bass and Atlanta crunk beats add a new spark of energy to the mix.
Her cover of Love You Down went viral before going viral was even a thing. This was during a time when social media didn’t exist. It was due to DJs supporting her music and playing it on the radio in the United States that her first two singles were a breakout success. The song was a top charting hit in several countries. INOJ followed the success of Time After Time with a re-make of Ready For The World - Love You Down. Radio stations played the hell out of Love You Down and her Time After Time cover in Atlanta, Georgia.
There is something nostalgic about Love You Down. This is a type of song that will remind you of your childhood, high school, or the college years. So it brings back a lot of memories to many people. INOJ's version so good that it beats the original version straight out of the water! There's no doubt both the song and the singer are ready for the world.
5/5*****!!
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Kids At Work album review
The Kids At Work album by the soul trio Kids At Work is one Teddy Riley’s lesser known works in terms of his production. Not too many people know or knew about this album. This production work by him was overlooked back when their album was released in 1984. Kids At Work was one of Teddy Riley’s first groups.
She’s My Baby is a 6 minute long funky soul jam where funk meets soul music. This song is one of Teddy Riley’s lesser known works where he sings and plays those funky synths your hear using a keyboard. Clurel Henderson is the lead singer for this song and Teddy Riley is the lead singer for the chorus. Bobby Brown later used the chorus of She’s My Baby on his song "She's My Lady". Of course She’s My baby is a love song.
Hey Yeah was one of the songs which did not fare well in terms of sales. That is why a lot of people never heard of this song. The song Hey Yeah will remind you of those high school dances and the good times during those good old days. The mid tempo vibe gives the song a calm chilling nostalgic feel. This was the song which made everyone happy.
Sugar Baby was the first song which Kids At Work put out in 1983. The song has similar to a song from Hall & Oates due to the percussion and musical style.
Reggae Kids is Teddy Riley’s lesser known works. It’s nice and quite different to hear a reggae song on a soul album. The song has an upbeat dance vibe.
4/5****!
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Latif - Breath of Fresh Air album review
Breath of Fresh Air is an album and mixtape from Latif which was presented by Forever Music and hosted by DJ Don Cannon. The album was released to DatPiff and SoundCloud in 2010 as a digital album. Production on was handled by Carvin & Ivan, Johnie "Smurf" Smith, James Poyser, and James Rose. This album features new and unreleased material from his notebooks. Latif is a breath of fresh air much needed talent in today's R&B scene. His smooth songs are worth the listen and streaming. Corey “Latif” Williams is an emerging singer/songwriter from Philadelphia.
Included on this album is his own rendition of Teddy Pendergrass - Love TKO. He created this rendition as a rendition of a tribute to his late mentor, Teddy Pendergrass. This song is genuine and soulful. Latif recorded this sometime during the mid 00s.
Like her is a brand new cut with fresh sound produced by Musiq Soulchild. Not only did Musiq Soulchild produce this song, he also sings as well. Songs Damage, Deserve you more, and Teach me were demos.
Also on this album is an unreleased song he sung with Michael Jackson called For All Time. Latif recorded with Michael Jackson sometime during the mid 00s. For All Time was produced by Carvin & Ivan and James Poyser.
5/5*****!
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