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Back II Da Basics
Ginuwine
Sony Urban/Epic
Ginuwine is known for slow jamz and midtempo melodies for the most part. That said, I'm not sure why he kicked off his latest
CD, "Back II Da Basics," with a couple of club tracks. He finally digs into the art of a love song on "When
We Make Love," a luscious grind into the bedroom scene that is a genuine gem! It's just a tender beat, some chords and
light percussion and Ginuwine romancing the melody. Another nice track on the slow tip is "She's Like," a haunting
track that is actually about happy subject matter - being in love - so I'm not sure why he went with a melancholy flavor.
The other dance in the dark that is good is "Betta Half" (of course he is talking about a woman!). "Far Away"
is pretty cool, except it's a little long. It's interesting that this album did not receive the fan fare that Ginuwine albums
usually do. It may be a comment on the state of the industry, or it may be a comment on the state of this album. It just ain't
that good. Ginuwine can really be compelling and seriously attractive for the ladies, which are urban radio's target audience.
But the sparkle, that sexy yet romantic aura, is missing on a lot of the 15-track album. Ginuwine tries to be hip hop on too
many tracks instead of concentrating on being the R&B singer that garnered millions of fans and sales worldwide.
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Indecent Proposal
Javier
Capitol/EMI
This is the debut single from Javier's upcoming sophomore album, "Left of Center." The track draws on a story of
seduction, and that's one of the many things I like about it - it's a story. It tells the tale of forbidden love without getting
into all the raw details, just the seduction, and that folks, is way more sexy than hearing the details. The tease, the mental
foreplay is way more tantalizing. The lyrics are intelligent and mature without being old skool, yet ol' player players will
appreciate its pact with passion. The song, the melody is scintillating, too. A simple guitar at first with light percussion
eventually builds to strong strains of Javier, strings and the movement of the music, and then just the beat and guitar, again,
with Javier stretching that beautiful voice to its upper limits. "Indecent Proposal" is a smoldering work - the
title is perfect for the sneaky and teasing way it plays on your sensibilities. Cheaters will relish it and the rest of us
will fights its urgings, and lose.
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