Click here to listen to AOL’s Full Album Preview of Raheem DeVaugn’s “Love Behind the Melody” 

Raheem DeVaugn starts off his new album “Love Behind the Melody” with “Hello Love”, a light-hearted intro that sets the tone for what’s to come. Judging from the intro we can expect an album that focuses largely on love with a laid back “R&B hippie” feel. I can dig it…an album about love? You get no complaints from me at all.

“Woman” is a great track that gives props to all the different kinds of women and the different roles women play in a man’s life. He already did a song along these lines with “You” but a song like this can never quite be redundant since so few artists ever bother to show this kind of love. His voice has a very throwback bluesy soulful quality in this track which makes it sound more classic and less contemporary. I could see someone like Marvin Gaye making a song like this back in the day (not to put Raheem on this level but it gives me a Marvin vibe).

On “Love Drug” Raheem likens his love to a drug for his lady. Although singing about how he has his woman sprung off his love could come off a little arrogant he actually comes across quite sweet. He expresses a mutual affection for his lover which makes the song very romantic. I like the production on the track…I hear very subtle hints of Alicia Key’s “Unbreakable”. The live instrumentation is great and his voice is wonderful. He really shows the wide range of his vocal abilities and he has really mastered capturing emotion and intensity without sounding screechy or whiny.

Raheem switches up the style and vibe a little bit for “Energy” which features Big Boi. This song relates things on a much more physical level than other tracks on the album, but I’m not complaining. The song is sexy without being sleazy. Although Big Boi’s flow and voice complement the track pretty well, lyrically he is a downgrade. He didn’t bother to stay in the same vein of Raheem’s lyrics so it ends up just sounding like a verse he could’ve spit on any other song. Common would’ve been really hot on the track instead.

For “Friday (Shut the Club Down)” Raheem samples “My Girl” and modernizes it a bit without losing the classic and spirited feel of the track. It’s kind of surprising that he would use this kind of beat and vibe for a song that talks about “shutting the club down”, but I will say that it definitely captures that love people have for Friday….I know I want to do a song and dance every Friday when it’s time for me to hit the road lol. This is a very fun track and really highlights Raheem’s versatility as an artist. A lot of people are good at producing one type of sound, but to be able to switch it up without sounding contrived is pretty impressive.

“Customer” is a song that I instantly fell in love with and fully expected to be my favorite song on the album. So far, it’s still my favorite track, but I’m not through the entire album yet. This song does everything right and the lyrics are brilliant…how can a woman not love a song about a man wanting to cater to her? Destiny’s Child did “Cater 2 U” and I would consider this track the male answer to that track. I love it, love it, love it. The production is sensual and Raheem’s voice is divine. Fellas take notes!

Sidebar: it’s funny because so far this is one of those albums that on my first listen I secretly hope it ends quickly before it can deteriorate into some trite mess that pervades the average wannabe R&B album these days; yet I don’t want to end, because the content is so refreshing and so on point.

Back to the review, despite the bad grammar of the title “Mo Better” it is actually an amazingly beautiful love ballad. The lyrics and the sincerity in Raheem’s voice just give you that heartwarming feeling. Chris Rock said women need “food, air, and compliments” and this song is definitely the ultimate compliment. This song makes a woman want to be the kind of woman a man would say these things about and makes her want to have a man who can appreciate her enough to feel this way. Just stellar!

On “Woman I Desire”, Raheem spits a little spoken word a la Darius Miles in Love Jones (some of you youngn’s probably don’t know nothing about that lol). I dig it and he scores cool points for acknowledging how women are de-valued in so many forms of music and making amends for it through his words. Perhaps that might make a few hater men roll their eyes, but of course it’s always nice for women to hear it.

“Desire” is a natural extension from the previous track, but relates his desire more specifically to the current love. The highlight of this song is his vocal performance…he does a great job of conveying the yearning of the lyrics.

All of the background noises in “Midnight” are definitely overkill and borderline gross at times. Luckily after about 30 seconds of the track (so don’t press skip just yet lol) it transitions to “Marathon”. Like the title suggests, this song is about a little marathon love-making. Floetry is a great addition to the track and to the album which so far hasn’t had any female vocal presence. This song is more of a background track than one you pay close attention to lyrically. In case you haven’t figured it out by now…this album makes for great bedroom, bubble bath, and/or romantic dinner music.

On “Butterflies” Raheem talks about how a woman he is secretly interested in gives him butterflies. How cute! Crush songs are always a favorite of mine…when I was a dork in junior high and high school and all the fast girls were getting all the guys…I used to hope that someone had a secret crush on me. Of course nobody ever did, but at least it made me feel better. Lol

On “She’s Not You”, Raheem sings about how every woman he meets falls short of the perfection of his current love. This song is so incredibly sweet! So many people have this attitude that the grass is greener on the other side, but it’s nice to hear a song about someone appreciating the love they have at home. Wonderful song!

“Can We Try Again” flows into “Try Again” which is about trying to convince his ex-lady to give him another chance. It’s wonderful how he pours out his heart and puts all his cards on the table (in the lyrical context of the song…yes I’m aware that this is not real life lol)…which is honestly the best thing to do when you’re trying to convince someone to give you a second chance. This song melts my at times- coal black unsympathetic to those who screw up heart- so I have to give him a thumbs up for this one.

Every song wins me over just a little bit more and “Empty” is no exception. He sings about how he couldn’t imagine his life without the love of his life. Say it with me, “awwwwwww”. But seriously, he manages to make all of these love songs without sounding the least bit corny. I like the production on the track too. On the album he switches from a throwback sound to a more current R&B sound, but it still manages to mesh well throughout the album. This one is more on the current tip with a more digital production sound and not so much live instruments…it still works though.

Raheem closes out the album with “Four Letter Word”. He doesn’t do anything on this track hasn’t been done already throughout the album, but I’m glad that he ends the album on such a high note.

Once or if I’m lucky twice a year…an album like “Love Behind the Melody” comes along that totally sweeps me off my feet. I’m a true romantic at heart and an eternal optimist about love, so this album is exactly the kind of music I love, love, love to hear. With the average album talking about sex, cheating, sleeping around, and money (and I’m talking about R&B), an album about love is almost revolutionary. I appreciate that he’s willing to not sell 5 or 6 million by appealing to people’s superficial instincts and aiming for something on a more elevated level. In the opening, Raheem says he set out to make a timeless album, and I would have to wholeheartedly say that his mission is accomplished. Raheem has such an amazing voice and he puts it to good use with beautiful music that has a positive message and just makes people feel good.

Who is this album for? Well if you are a romantic, an idealist, an optimist…or maybe if you are in love and are looking for an album you can chill with your honey and listen to…I highly recommend this album to you. If your idea of good music is Trey Songz, Omarion, or R. Kelly (post Chocolate Factory), then I’d be hesitant to recommend this to you. This is a lover’s album, so if that appeals to you then it’s a must-buy. “Love Behind the Melody” is in stores NOW!

What do you guys think of this album? Did you enjoy it as much as I did? Isn’t it nice to hear a man talking about something other than sex on record for a change? Couldn’t everyone use just a little bit more romance in their lives?

Posted by Reecie