Send "Musiq Soulchild " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Of all the syrup-throated crooners that emerged during the neo-soul boom of the early 2000s, Musiq Soulchild was perhaps the least starlike. His vocals were more coffee house than club stage, and his music was often a soulful sort of minimal sound that put the emphasis of his performance purely on the lyrics. Luckily, on his first few releases Musiq backed that up with many of the sweeter, simpler love songs of his era. But for the past four years or so Musiq has seemed wary of his fading presence on pop radio, as the masses shift towards basic oontz beats and club trends. MusiqInTheMagiq continues that trend, making it another tough listen for fans of his original style in the vein of OnMyRadio.Musiq’s vocals aren’t and never have been the sort to blow you out of the room. He’s a Trey Songz without the urges to hit the upper register, a guy who’s always been more of a total package than a straight crooner. This makes songs with awfully bland backing tracks and pretty staid subject matter like “Single” really struggle to work, because Musiq doesn’t bring any missing energy to the process. His ear for a good melody is put on display with “Sayido” and “Anything”, but the latter does suffer a little from lyrics that are a little less principled than those of past Musiq songs and more uncomfortable nightclub pandering. His stylistic flubs aren’t limited to just those. Just as he follows that trend, he hooks up with ELEMENT and Jack Splash to craft slices of throwback ‘60s soul in the vein of Raphael Saadiq. Not only is it a shame those two are beginning to play their hands in such an uncouth manner, but it’s confusing why Musiq threads his vocals with traces of autotune and pitch shifting on music that’s supposed to bring to mind days long gone. Perhaps it’s needless to say, but the smushing together of eras doesn’t come off as very charming. The manipulation of his vocals on this album is way too abundant for me to really enjoy this album, and the production too uncharacteristic of Musiq for me to really get behind. Near the end of the album we do get some treats. “Dowehaveto?” is pretty vintage and fair, while “Befriends” covers his favorite subject matter as good as always and “Yes” shines as the highlight. This second half doesn’t really make up for such a languid first, though....full text |
| Randb |
| Up to this point in his career, the singer known as Musiq Soulchild has been best known for slow-burning, romantic ballads like "Halfcrazy," "teachme" and "Sobeautiful." But on his sixth studio album, MusiqInTheMagiq, Mr. Soulchild branches out a little and adds more uptempo material to his usual mix of songs. And the result is favorable; unlike most of his albums, things don't start to grow stale the closer you get to the end. MusiqInTheMagiq, which was released in the U.S. on May 3, 2011, gives Musiq's persona a welcome shot in arm while still retaining it's musical essence....full text |
| Ampsand808s |
| Musiq Soulchild is one of Neo-Soul's proudest offspring. With great works in his collection from the albums 'Aijuswanaseing' to 'OnMyRadio' and songs like 'BetterMan' and 'MoneyRight' the successful singer has got creative with his art even titling his records in ways that would drive Grammar Rodeo's buckaroo. For years the Neo-Soul child has stood firmly next to his eclectic, excellent contemporaries like Maxwell and Raphael Saadiq and even the formidable females in the game (like Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and his beau India Arie), but ever since his second number one album 'Luvanmusiq' and mainstream smash single 'B.U.D.D.Y' there has been even more love for this soul child. Now a couple of years and an album later Musiq releases 'MusiqInTheMagiq' for our ipods, tape decks, car speakers, club heaters and radio waves. It all begins with something for the radio. 'Anything' featuring prolific producer Swizz Beatz is another attempt by the Soulchild to show the mainstream industry he really is something like his sublime Beatles cover. Just like his last big hit 'Radio' Musiq delivers music with chart appeal but to his own standard, compromising for nobody and keeping his integrity intact with this different, soulful, poppy track. 'Single' is another single worthy jam, as the singer tracks desire for a women he can't commit to over a cool, concise production. Meanwhile 'Say I Do' is a song that speaks volumes for all Musiq is capable of with strong lyrics over a rocking beat, all whilst the singer vows his deep dedications. Then on 'LoveContract' the R&B leading man gets official with a "grown and sexy" number that feels like it could have been recorded decades back. Needless to say it's a new classic for Soulchild and souls vast catalogue. The same goes for 'SilverAndGold', a shining, signature ready made hit worthy of the weight of platinum status. Tailored with lyrics like; "And when life gets hard/I will be the cushion where you lay/I will I will/And when this journey gets you blurry eyed/I will lead the rest of the way" Musiq fashions another grand design. As Musiq picks up the guitar for some slow, soulful licks he give us 'WaitingStill' and it's timeless testament to love and time to add to the ongoing quality of this 'magiq' music....full text |
Musiq Soulchild lyrics
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