He's a genius, yes?
― Tape Store, Sunday, 11 November 2007 19:12 (2 years ago) Permalink
WHY AM I JUST NOW HEARING "DIAMOND GIRL"?
IT IS SO AMAZING.
― The Brainwasher, Thursday, 29 November 2007 23:51 (2 years ago) Permalink
HOLY SHIT. I MIGHT POST THIS ON CASSIE THREAD, TOO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nRO-M2p6IA
― Tape Store, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 22:41 (2 years ago) Permalink
some talk about it in the r&b thread
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 15 April 2008 22:42 (2 years ago) Permalink
s:
used 2 be ft fabolous just right promise not 2 call valentine r u coming back wanna be good to you megan rochell - my mistake donell jones - hands on you the cassie stuff
his album could be good but there's some really rub stuff too. hopefully he won't botch it.
― dbs, Wednesday, 16 April 2008 09:56 (2 years ago) Permalink
Addiction is great but like most Leslie stuff, it seems it woudl work better if it was just a solo Cassie type thing. Dude should stay behind the deck
― baaderonixx, Wednesday, 16 April 2008 13:50 (2 years ago) Permalink
i've been listening to "addiction" for months now but I heard it on a great soundystem the other day and now I can't stop playing it.. it's so MASSIVE and dark and awesome. That big bass stab in crazy.
― The Brainwasher, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 07:48 (2 years ago) Permalink
i hope his album actually comes out this time.. sept 16th. should be a great day, jazmine sullivan AND this.
yeah def looking forward to this
― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 5 August 2008 07:53 (2 years ago) Permalink
is it coming out in the UK?
― mmmm, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 08:42 (2 years ago) Permalink
Chanel Iman
― Tape Store, Thursday, 14 August 2008 20:39 (2 years ago) Permalink
lol, not sure about this rumor...maybe it's personal? or maybe it's just for a video? he's all obsessed with the black issue of italian vogue.
― Tape Store, Thursday, 14 August 2008 20:42 (2 years ago) Permalink
instant classic amirite?
― De Pussyclot Dolls (The Brainwasher), Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:22 (1 year ago) Permalink
cant stop wont stop listening to "gibberish"
― k3vin k., Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:23 (1 year ago) Permalink
He reminds me of Bernard Wright.
― De Pussyclot Dolls (The Brainwasher), Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:25 (1 year ago) Permalink
On one listen, "Quicksand" and "Gibberish" def seem to be the highlights. I still can't get over the feeling dude is a really poor singer, even if it isn't as apparent on most of the album tracks as on the singles.
― The Reverend (rev), Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
i like how he seemed to give up on trying to take some kind of magic cover photo that would make him look handsome and just went for the most awkward posture possible
― n00bian princess (some dude), Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:29 (1 year ago) Permalink
haha yeah its like 'ugh when is this shoot going to be done hang on let me itch my ass' *CLICK* whoops last roll of film 'ILL TAKE IT'
― k3vin k., Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:31 (1 year ago) Permalink
"Gibberish" is good but it's not a highlight imo.. "Out Of The Blue," You're Fly", "I-R-I-N-A," "Valentine", "Diamond Girl" (I still can't get over this song)..... It sucks that a lot of these songs have been around forever so the album doesn't feel particularly "fresh", but I can't wait to hear what he comes with next. And I have no problems with his voice... it's kind of nasally and he doesn;'t have much range but I don't ever find myself thinking "this would be better if someone else were singing it"... though someone on another forum said that they could hear Bilal doing these songs and I definitely hear that... "Just Right" wouldn't be out of place on Love For Sale
― De Pussyclot Dolls (The Brainwasher), Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:33 (1 year ago) Permalink
weird that after 2 perfectly good and popular singles it's "How It Was Supposed To Be" that they ended up launching the album release with...the first few times I heard that song I thought Mario was bravely carrying on his recording career after some kind of debilitating throat ailment.
― n00bian princess (some dude), Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:41 (1 year ago) Permalink
the first few times I heard that song I thought Mario was bravely carrying on his recording career after some kind of debilitating throat ailment.
― n00bian princess (some dude)
lol
― De Pussyclot Dolls (The Brainwasher), Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
I dunno, his singing just seems kinda half-assed most of the time, like in the way Pharrells do, but not quite as annoying as that.
haha ship
― The Reverend (rev), Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:43 (1 year ago) Permalink
yeah...the falsetto on "Addiction" is very Pharrell, but less obnoxious.
― n00bian princess (some dude), Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:45 (1 year ago) Permalink
Were "Diamond Girl" and "Addiction" actual hits? I haven't heard them other than of my volition at all.
― The Reverend (rev), Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:47 (1 year ago) Permalink
they were medium-sized hits on the R&B charts... both peaked at #25 I think. They got 106&Park play too....
― De Pussyclot Dolls (The Brainwasher), Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:47 (1 year ago) Permalink
not big hits but i would say they were definitely hits, heard them both on the radio (particularly the latter) quite a lot.
xpost
― n00bian princess (some dude), Thursday, 5 February 2009 18:48 (1 year ago) Permalink
"Bass & guitar by Tom 'T-Bone' Wolk"
― Andy K, Thursday, 5 February 2009 19:34 (1 year ago) Permalink
"Keyboard by David Sancious"
― Andy K, Thursday, 5 February 2009 19:36 (1 year ago) Permalink
Some guitar IS by Brent Paschke (Spymob, NERD)
― Andy K, Thursday, 5 February 2009 19:38 (1 year ago) Permalink
Umm... is there some greater meaning to those posts (other than the last one) that I am missing?
― The Reverend (rev), Thursday, 5 February 2009 19:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
Two names I did not expect to see in the credits.
― Andy K, Thursday, 5 February 2009 19:58 (1 year ago) Permalink
Ah, I should have googled them instead of acting a Finn.
― The Reverend (rev), Thursday, 5 February 2009 20:00 (1 year ago) Permalink
― Andy K, Thursday, 5 February 2009 20:02 (1 year ago) Permalink
we talked about this a bit on the r&b thread too
my other favorite neptunes throwback is that ricky blaze / ron browz joint
― LOOK WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLA (deej), Thursday, 5 February 2009 23:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
ricky blaze has a song with ron brownz
― De Pussyclot Dolls (The Brainwasher), Thursday, 5 February 2009 23:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
????
― De Pussyclot Dolls (The Brainwasher), Thursday, 5 February 2009 23:11 (1 year ago) Permalink
― LOOK WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLA (deej), Thursday, 5 February 2009 23:14 (1 year ago) Permalink
i feel free vs. quicksand
― LOOK WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLA (deej), Thursday, 5 February 2009 23:15 (1 year ago) Permalink
drums on that are way too fresh for it to be a neptunes throwback but ugh autotune hell
― n00bian princess (some dude), Thursday, 5 February 2009 23:20 (1 year ago) Permalink
u are a certified nu-browz hater though
― LOOK WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLA (deej), Thursday, 5 February 2009 23:23 (1 year ago) Permalink
quicksand definitely sounds MORE N.E.R.D.-ish
find it kinda weird ships is all browz-furrowed given the latter owes 10000 x more to swizz beatz than he does t-pain autowhatever imo
― r|t|c, Thursday, 5 February 2009 23:32 (1 year ago) Permalink
also that hook is str8 linkin park, what's to hate
― r|t|c, Thursday, 5 February 2009 23:33 (1 year ago) Permalink
^what the fuck
― your infinity in you is mad lifted (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 8 February 2009 22:41 (1 year ago) Permalink
anyway "valentine" is my shit right now - i think in this weird way his amateurism works wonders for the album, like he can't really sing and the arrangements often aren't anything spectacular so it leaves his writing right out in the forefront but the dude can reeeeally write hooks
― your infinity in you is mad lifted (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 8 February 2009 22:43 (1 year ago) Permalink
― n00bian princess (some dude), Thursday, February 5, 2009 12:29 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
― k3vin k., Thursday, February 5, 2009 12:31 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark
lol yeah also he didn't even iron his shirt all the way
― your infinity in you is mad lifted (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 8 February 2009 22:45 (1 year ago) Permalink
― r|t|c, Thursday, February 5, 2009 6:32 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
real talk, if browz did most of these same exact joints w/ zero autotune they probably would be more on some swizzy shit and i probably would like it. but he didn't and they don't, so i don't.
― some dude, Monday, 9 February 2009 04:41 (1 year ago) Permalink
so are we all liking this? 'gibberish' still kills me and the rest are solid and growing on me
― jammed hymen (k3vin k.), Monday, 9 February 2009 04:43 (1 year ago) Permalink
i'm all liking the idea of buying the CD when it comes out on tuesday.
― some dude, Monday, 9 February 2009 04:48 (1 year ago) Permalink
I'm suprised how much I like the album, considering I kinda hate R-Les.
― I cut my hand on a low-hanging disco ball (The Reverend), Monday, 9 February 2009 04:55 (1 year ago) Permalink
im arguing that maxwell combines the carefully thought out compositional approach of ryan leslie w/ a more 'felt'/improvised follow-yr-inner-voice appeal of the-dream very naturally so it seems v. natural
― ice cr?m hand job (deej), Monday, 23 November 2009 23:52 (9 months ago) Permalink
lol naturally so its natural -- you get what im saying
― ice cr?m hand job (deej), Monday, 23 November 2009 23:53 (9 months ago) Permalink
I dig both this dude's albums to extents, but his talent-to-personality ratio is way out of whack.
― i and iiiijjjj (The Reverend), Wednesday, 25 November 2009 08:53 (9 months ago) Permalink
y'know every time I listen to the Maxwell album I certainly think "this like Ryan Leslie meets The-Dream"
― turkey turkey turkey let's all get basted (some dude), Wednesday, 25 November 2009 12:28 (9 months ago) Permalink
I think deej's comparison is more about songwriting approaches than actual sound.
― Nuyorican oatmeal (jaymc), Wednesday, 25 November 2009 14:01 (9 months ago) Permalink
if that's the case then we can just put every auteur from every genre ever on some vague precision vs. ballsy spectrum
― some dude, Wednesday, 25 November 2009 14:10 (9 months ago) Permalink
okay this might just be because i was listening to their best of a lot around the time i was listening to his first album, but does anyone else get a weirdly "Carpenters"-ey vibe off the production to this?
― plaxico (I know, right?), Wednesday, 25 November 2009 19:43 (9 months ago) Permalink
― some dude, Wednesday, November 25, 2009 8:10 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
i guess you could, my point was that the-dream & leslie seem to have fairly opposite songwriting approaches/personalities. i dont think im reading that much into it.
The Maxwell comparison is a bit different -- its not like he splits the difference or something -- I'm just saying that he just feels like he covers more bases.
― ice cr?m hand job (deej), Wednesday, 25 November 2009 20:30 (9 months ago) Permalink
"Never Gonna Break Up" is a dream for fans of creamy synthesizer tones.
― Nuyorican oatmeal (jaymc), Wednesday, 25 November 2009 20:37 (9 months ago) Permalink
listening to transition a lot lately, and ive tried saying it a few times but never really got at why i really like this guy and why i think his personality works is that it is a really great equiv for his whole aesthetic. I think its important that he is the producer as well on these tracks bc he makes them sound like a tasteful/tacky expensive bachelor pad where his sortof-an-asshole yuppie dude'll show you his big tv and put the moves on you, and i think he has a great way of just suggesting his sleazy-slick intentions in the fancy upholstery r smthng
― plaxico (I know, right?), Friday, 29 January 2010 23:23 (7 months ago) Permalink
^^^yah good post
― average gangsta rap from average gangstas (deej), Saturday, 30 January 2010 03:30 (7 months ago) Permalink
this could be kinda like j0rdan said about "Blame It" in the ilx poll, where the sound is the actual sound of the subject matter, and you respond to the artfulness of that creation even if you don't necessarily like getting your drink on in pricey joints, or sleazy assholes
― zvookster, Saturday, 30 January 2010 03:41 (7 months ago) Permalink
yeah that's a good post tiarnan
― Goon's Anatomy (J0rdan S.), Saturday, 30 January 2010 03:43 (7 months ago) Permalink
kind of was lukewarm to this guy at first but i find myself coming back to both of the albums from last year
― po-mo da don (tpp), Friday, 16 April 2010 20:15 (4 months ago) Permalink
2nd one is incredible & mad slept on
― The BoyBoy Big HOO$ (deej), Saturday, 17 April 2010 00:11 (4 months ago) Permalink
i dunno, besides "never gonna break up" and "sunday night" the second one kind of came and went with me, he left some great leaks off of it ("ice cold", "luv this luv", etc.)... I definitely thought the first album was a lot better, but maybe I should revisit it.
― The Brainwasher, Saturday, 17 April 2010 00:31 (4 months ago) Permalink
'rescue u'
― The BoyBoy Big HOO$ (deej), Saturday, 17 April 2010 00:56 (4 months ago) Permalink
i dunno i cannot get this album (transition) out of my head. i catch myself humming 'all my love' at least one a week at the moment. incredible song.
― pollos da don (tpp), Sunday, 25 April 2010 18:11 (4 months ago) Permalink
i think the reason i found his personality jarring for so long is cos it rings really true. outright swagging + boasting never annoys me. but he is like so many guys i've known in real life who play at being this slick sensitive 'i create music' dude.
― pollos da don (tpp), Sunday, 25 April 2010 18:17 (4 months ago) Permalink
ha otm
― it ain't trickin if yo gotti (The Reverend), Monday, 26 April 2010 01:41 (4 months ago) Permalink
― its like why GROCERY BAG and not saddam? (deej), Sunday, 27 June 2010 03:34 (2 months ago) Permalink
transition is def a classic album
should've been on my pazz and jop
― de jong and the restless (J0rdan S.), Monday, 19 July 2010 19:26 (1 month ago) Permalink
he is a really terrible rapper tho
― de jong and the restless (J0rdan S.), Monday, 19 July 2010 19:32 (1 month ago) Permalink
there's a grocery bag line on "sunday night"
― de jong and the restless (J0rdan S.), Monday, 19 July 2010 19:49 (1 month ago) Permalink
― de jong and the restless (J0rdan S.), Monday, July 19, 2010 3:32 PM (1 hour ago)
BEEN TELLING YOU
― terry squad (k3vin k.), Monday, 19 July 2010 21:00 (1 month ago) Permalink
I still have this nagging feeling that his self-titled is better than Transition.
― altered boners (rennavate), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 00:49 (1 month ago) Permalink
Less clunkers lyrically. But it's not about the lyrics with dude, I know.
i still prefer the self-titled. it's a bit less....all-around competent than transition i guess, but way more distinctly ryan leslie
― BIG MEECH aka the larryhoover (The Reverend), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:01 (1 month ago) Permalink
like, i actually disagree and think the debut is way more clunky, but ryan is an awkward dude! a ryan leslie album should be awkward sometimes.
― BIG MEECH aka the larryhoover (The Reverend), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:02 (1 month ago) Permalink
i don't think leslie is very distinct tbh
'transition' is a bit more lush, just better composed all around -- i think it's homogeneity works in its favor
― de jong and the restless (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:04 (1 month ago) Permalink
i never really warmed to Transition. it's not bad, but it doesn't have the 2 minor classic singles and the deep cuts I got attached to that the self-titled has.
― magic ksh (some dude), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:05 (1 month ago) Permalink
the first album's cover almost insists on its awkwardness, it's like he kinda must know that's his essence
― magic ksh (some dude), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:06 (1 month ago) Permalink
the two are really close for me, but my favorite songs of his are on the self-titled ("valentine", "gibberish") so i usually go with that one
xp disagree that he's not distinctive - at the very least he's got (well had) a decently recognizable production style
― terry squad (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:07 (1 month ago) Permalink
i don't think being "distinctive" really has that much bearing on whether or not he's great, but it's not like you can draw connections between many of the songs on the debut -- transition is a different story but it's that way purposefully
― de jong and the restless (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:09 (1 month ago) Permalink
"Valentine" is so fucking good
― magic ksh (some dude), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:09 (1 month ago) Permalink
yeah man that's the one that kept growing on me and that i now love the most
― terry squad (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:11 (1 month ago) Permalink
i wish dude had enough buzz to do more rap beats, love his stuff on the last Fab album
― magic ksh (some dude), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:11 (1 month ago) Permalink
yeah that song is really awesome
valentine, irina & gibberish are the best deep cuts off the first one
― de jong and the restless (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:12 (1 month ago) Permalink
― magic ksh (some dude), Monday, July 19, 2010 9:11 PM (37 seconds ago) Bookmark
yes -- also "something that i like" off transition
― de jong and the restless (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:13 (1 month ago) Permalink
man this is getting me all nostalgic, s/t was the first record i reviewed for my college paper
― terry squad (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:20 (1 month ago) Permalink
Nostalgic For 18 Months Ago: The Memoir of K3vin K3ller
― magic ksh (some dude), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:30 (1 month ago) Permalink
haha
― de jong and the restless (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 01:56 (1 month ago) Permalink
this one is dope too
― blap...tremendo (deej), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 02:02 (1 month ago) Permalink
idk i thought the 2nd one sounded way more interested in songwriting & less abt sounding like the neptunes
idk about sounding like the neptunes, but i agree that the second one def has better songwriting
― de jong and the restless (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 02:04 (1 month ago) Permalink
i know i didn't listen to it as much but i barely remember any of the songs off the 2nd
― BIG MEECH aka the larryhoover (The Reverend), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 06:31 (1 month ago) Permalink
he produced a joint on the new fab EP
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 29 July 2010 03:29 (1 month ago) Permalink
ryan and fab are a very good team
― aborted based fetus (The Brainwasher), Thursday, 29 July 2010 03:39 (1 month ago) Permalink
my shit
― aborted based fetus (The Brainwasher), Thursday, 29 July 2010 03:40 (1 month ago) Permalink
also enjoy this fab/ryan collabo
― pearsonic, Tuesday, 3 August 2010 03:33 (1 month ago) Permalink