The Phoenix

Lyfe Jennings

explicit

Erschienen am 26.06.06 bei Sony Urban Music - Columbia
Künstler: Lyfe Jennings
Genre: R&B

Verfügbar in

16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo

Musik-Streaming

Hören Sie dieses Album mit unseren Apps in hoher Audio-Qualität

Testen Sie Qobuz kostenlos und hören Sie sich das Album an

Hören Sie dieses Album im Rahmen Ihres Streaming-Abonnements mit den Qobuz-Apps

Abonnement abschließen

Hören Sie dieses Album im Rahmen Ihres Streaming-Abonnements mit den Qobuz-Apps

Download

Kaufen Sie dieses Album und laden Sie es in verschiedenen Formaten herunter, je nach Ihren Bedürfnissen.

Text in englischer Sprache verfügbar

What's surprising about Lyfe Jennings' career is that not only does his soulful music recall the freedom the soul genre experienced in the early '70s but how his major label, Sony, gives him that freedom in the rather stilted 21st century. Listening to his sophomore effort, The Phoenix, the question could be raised as to who is responsible for the album's heavy Kanye West and John Legend influence. Legend's emotional, piano-driven style rears its head often and West's elaborate ambition is all over the place, but a couple listens in, it's obvious that Jennings is responsible for all the unique moves and doubtful that Sony told him, "We need you to be our Kanye." The fact Sony gave the man's debut plenty of time to sink in with the public -- they worked it for an eternity by 21st century standards -- is a clue, but the proof is all over The Phoenix, a giant of an album with giant rewards, giant flaws, and grand swoops of unbridled creativity that somehow got Sony's stamp of approval. First off, there's a song-explaining interlude between practically every track, something that wears out its welcome in three listens or so. The interludes that bridge "Goodbye" (excellent and achingly poignant), "Let's Stay Together" (silky smooth), and "Biggie Nigga" (uplifting and fascinating) are especially clumsy, with Lyfe explaining how he faced the "making up is easier than breaking up" conundrum and made the more difficult choice, then made the easier choice, then dumped his lady for another girl who made him feel like the Notorious B.I.G. The chitter-chatter undermines this killer trilogy of songs, but if you want a really strange move, check out how the tougher-than-tough "Slow Down" (with G-Unit member Young Buck) uses the Gilligan's Island theme for its hook. As part of the whole, it works beautifully, as do the outlandish lyrics dropped into "Biggie Nigga" ("I was breast-fed by Godzilla") and "The River" ("I'm cursing the vagina that gave life to me"), since they're surrounded by eye-level views of Lyfe's past and his delivery is always convincing. On top of it all, he pulls off the tricky "sexual abstinence" song ("S.E.X.") without a hitch, throws out enough bold ideas and grand statements for two West records, and his raspy voice is as rich as ever. The Phoenix is a crazy, big, flawed album, but it's a trip, and a riveting one that anyone who loved his debut will want to take.

© David Jeffries /TiVo

Weitere Informationen

The Phoenix

Lyfe Jennings

Sie hören derzeit Ausschnitte der Musik.

Hören Sie mehr als 100 Millionen Titel mit unseren Streaming-Abonnements

Hören Sie diese Playlist und mehr als 100 Millionen Tracks mit unseren Streaming-Abonnements

Ab 14.99 CHF/Monat

Intro (Album Version)