After the 2004’s unbelievably successful debut Lyfe 268-192 the audience has been eagerly expecting the continuation from the neo soul/R&B star Lyfe Jennings. Finally, in the middle of this August his sophomore effort The Phoenix has seen the light of the day and has already reached the first places on the world R&B charts. As it is clear from the contents of the new songs, the singer is gradually forgetting the horror of the prison days and is turning to the themes close to many of us: love, difficulties in relationships, becoming an adult and street life. What is in common between the two albums is that the songs on both Lyfe 268-192 and The Phoenix alternate with interludes, on which the performer talks to the listeners, explaining the sense of the songs and his intentions concerning them. Lyfe Jennings’ new record is flawless in the respect of the lyrics, the music, the transcriptions and the amazing vocals. The artist has written all the songs on The Phoenix himself, except for the unusual cover of 2Pac’s hit Keep Ya Head Up. Remaining a talented storyteller, the he has definitely worked at his singing skills and his feeling of the tune has become more acute. As the previous album, The Phoenix offers true-to-life songs telling about the Lyfe’s ups and downs through his optimist approach to life.
Each track on The Phoenix reveals Lyfe’s current major worries and interests. The album opens with a powerful club song Slow Down, a follow-up to a short intro and the first interlude, while the very beautiful melodious composition Goodbye is devoted to the problem of a break-up and starts a trilogy of songs about relations. The remaining two are the emotionalizing Let’s Stay Together, meant for couples having a crisis and qualified to help them make peace, and More Than A Girl – here the relations are on the very first stage, and the song serves the best love confession. The street life topic appears on Ghetto Superman, and on the single S.E.X. Jennings considers the story of a teenaged girl, who faces the men’s rudeness and obsession – this song can teach young girls a lot and many parents can be happy that they find a good way to warn their daughters about the possible danger. Actually, most songs on The Phoenix are sure to influence your life one way or another. Lyfe talks to God about his love of life on Down Here Up There. One of the most unexpected tracks on The Phoenix is the cover version of 2Pac’s classic Keep Ya Head Up, for the lyrics that have been always rapped are sung, and the song turns into something different, sounding like Jennings’ own creation. The passionate ballad Stingy is another candidate for a single due to the catchy melody, and the closer I’ll Always Love You let’s us once again enjoy Lyfe’s superb vocals ending the marvelous album on the most sensual note.
The ten years in prison have left a big mark in Lyfe Jennings’ soul, and as the new album has shown, he has grown wiser, more honest and kind-hearted. The Phoenix is a much more personal album compared to the previous one, probably, because life means for him much more than before, and he wants to share this understanding with the audience. For this already he deserves our respect, but Jennings goes further, making an attempt to help at least some of us avoid his mistakes, calling the couples that see no way out from the dead end not to give up, reminding everyone that hope must always be there. His singing is more sincere than on the debut album, and evidently he has got his hand in production and arrangement completely. The Phoenix is one of those rare cases, when the second work manages to outmatch the debut and witness the musical growth of an artist within a relatively short period of time. Due to his optimism, Jennings believes in his possibilities and knows that whatever happens, he has seen things much worse. There is no doubt that his talent keeps evolving and if already today his singing amazes, we might well soon get a new pleasant surprise from this really gifted musician and a capable orator.
Thug Matrimony: Married to the StreetsGrowing in strength like his Southern brothers Outkast, Trick Daddy has released one high-quality album after another, each one expanding on the best moments of the last one. Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets is nothing short of fantastic and