Essential R & B Summer 2011
Various Artists
Summer beats that still sizzle
Do you like Justin Bieber? No? Good, because he is not on this various artists album’s line-up. We have real talent here and an off-key teenager whose voice is breaking will not match the likes of Maxwell and Chris Brown, who are featured here.
This is an elite who’s who of artists who gave us hits in the not-so-distant past (except for Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff’s Summertime).
The double CD is divided by pace – one part is laid-back music and titled For The Pool, while the other is the upbeat For The Club.
In the slow zone you have Brown’s hit Deuces followed by Ciara’s sexy song Ride.
The master of remixes, R Kelly, brings in auto-tune general T-Pain and crispy-voiced Keyshia Cole on the remix of Number One. Maxwell’s Fistful Of Tears is always a joy to hear and so it is good that it is here, too.
The flip side has club anthems such as Usher’s OMG, which needs no introduction. GS Boyz’s Stanky Leg is a new standout that you don’t want to miss.
If you don’t know Bei Maejor (pronounced B Major), remember that name because he fits perfectly well somewhere between Drake and Lupe Fiasco without trying to be either of them.
Ladies’ man Mike Posner’s Cooler Than Me should keep things heated up, too.
This is a musical diary of the party beats from a few years ago to now. Happy summer.