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Discovered through Fame Academy, the BBC's ill-fated and little-watched answer to Pop Idol, soul singer Lemar has gone on to surpass the longevity of most of his more highly publicized talent show counterparts over an impressively consistent five-year career. But while comparisons to the likes of Al Green and Sam Cooke certainly helped to distance him from his less than credible beginnings, his brand of retro-soul, which sounded so fresh on 2003 debut Dedicated, has started to appear a little stale, especially when compared to the inventive club-friendly output of Chris Brown and Ne-Yo. Indeed, even Craig David stepped outside of his acoustic-based comfort zone to produce a few dancefloor-fillers for his recent Greatest Hits retrospective. But following the disappointing sales of his derivative '60s soul pastiche The Truth About Love, the Brit and MOBO Award-winner has opted for something a little more contemporary for his fourth studio album, The Reason. Recorded in Miami, Los Angeles, and Sweden with a hotshot team of producers including Soulshock & Karlin (Beyoncé), Salaam Remi (Britney Spears), and Jim Jonsin (Nelly), it's undoubtedly a more concerted effort to halt the worrying career slide that saw his previous single, "Tick Tock," scrape in at a lowly number 45. But rather than panicking and overloading its ten tracks with processed beats and Hi-NRG trance riffs, The Reason wisely plays it more subtle, bridging the gap between his old-fashioned previous output and a more modern electro-focused sound. So for every shimmering synth-led R&B number ("If She Knew"), there's an authentic attempt at Marvin Gaye-esque soul ("Not What You Say"), and for every Usher-inspired slow jam ("Wait Forever"), there's a crack at Little Richard-style bluesy jazz-pop ("Heartbreaker"). While The Reason's lack of originality still leaves Lemar searching for a full body of work that lives up to the standards of his vocal talents, its blend of old school and new school is a marked improvement on his previous vintage soulman routine, which should help to reverse his decreasing chart fortunes.
© Jon O'Brien /TiVo
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Lemar, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Troy Johnson, Composer - Lemar Obika, Lyricist, Producer, Vocal Arranger - Radio, Composer, Engineer, Producer - Manny Marroquin, Mixing Engineer - Christian Plata, Assistant Engineer - James Cruz, Mastering Engineer
(P) 2008 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Lemar, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Lemar Obika, Lyricist, Vocal Arranger - Sam Watters, Arranger, Lyricist, Mixing Engineer, Producer, Recording Engineer - Louis Biancaniello, Composer, Mixing Engineer, Producer - Jim Jonsin, Composer, Producer - Joe Gonzalez, Recording Engineer - Robert Marks, Mixing Engineer - James Cruz, Mastering Engineer
(P) 2008 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Lemar, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Lemar Obika, Lyricist, Vocal Arranger - Jim Beanz, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Vocal Arranger - KOIL, Engineer, Mixing Engineer - James Cruz, Mastering Engineer - Don Harris, Trumpet - Ozzie Melendez, Trombone - Richie Cannata, Saxophone - Mike Daddy, Executive Producer - Vandana Gupta, Executive Producer
(P) 2008 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Lemar, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Claude Kelly, Lyricist, Producer, Vocal Arranger - Lemar Obika, Lyricist, Vocal Arranger - Kenneth Karlin, Arranger, Composer, Producer, Vocal Arranger - SoulShock, Arranger, Composer, Producer, Vocal Arranger - Bill Malina, Engineer - Manny Marroquin, Mixing Engineer - Christian Plata, Assistant Engineer - James Cruz, Mastering Engineer
(P) 2008 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Lemar, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Lemar Obika, Lyricist, Producer, Vocal Arranger - Salaam Remi, Arranger, Bass, Composer, Drums, Guitar, Producer - Franklin Emmanuel Socorro, Recording Engineer - Jimmy Douglass, Mixing Engineer - James Cruz, Mastering Engineer - Henry Vincent, Saxophone
(P) 2008 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Lemar, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Lemar Obika, Lyricist, Producer, Vocal Arranger - Mattias Wollo, Arranger, Bass, Composer, Guitar, Lyricist, Producer, Programmer, Vocal Arranger - Daniel Lemma, Lyricist, Producer, Vocal Arranger - Erik Arvinder, Strings - CUTFATHER, Producer - Jay Jay, Producer - Mads Nilsson, Mixing Engineer - James Cruz, Mastering Engineer
(P) 2008 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Lemar, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Lemar Obika, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Vocal Arranger - Manny Marroquin, Mixing Engineer - Christian Plata, Assistant Engineer - Derrick McKenzie, Drums - James Cruz, Mastering Engineer - Simon Hale, Arranger
(P) 2008 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Lemar, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Claude Kelly, Lyricist, Producer, Vocal Arranger - Kenneth Karlin, Arranger, Composer, Lyricist, Producer - Carsten Schack, Lyricist - SoulShock, Arranger, Composer, Producer - Bill Malina, Engineer - Manny Marroquin, Mixing Engineer - Christian Plata, Assistant Engineer - James Cruz, Mastering Engineer
(P) 2008 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Lemar, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Lemar Obika, Lyricist, Producer, Vocal Arranger - Fitzgerald Scott, Lyricist, Producer, Vocal Arranger - Jack Splash, Arranger, Composer, Mixing Engineer, Producer - The Love Life Orchestra, Associated Performer - James Wisner, Engineer - James Cruz, Mastering Engineer
(P) 2008 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Lemar, Associated Performer, Main Artist, Associated Performer - Lemar Obika, Lyricist, Producer, Vocal Arranger - Mattias Wollo, Acoustic Guitar, Arranger, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Programmer, Vocal Arranger - Daniel Lemma, Lyricist, Producer, Vocal Arranger - Erik Arvinder, Strings - Anders Hvenare, Mixing Engineer - James Cruz, Mastering Engineer
(P) 2008 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Album review
Discovered through Fame Academy, the BBC's ill-fated and little-watched answer to Pop Idol, soul singer Lemar has gone on to surpass the longevity of most of his more highly publicized talent show counterparts over an impressively consistent five-year career. But while comparisons to the likes of Al Green and Sam Cooke certainly helped to distance him from his less than credible beginnings, his brand of retro-soul, which sounded so fresh on 2003 debut Dedicated, has started to appear a little stale, especially when compared to the inventive club-friendly output of Chris Brown and Ne-Yo. Indeed, even Craig David stepped outside of his acoustic-based comfort zone to produce a few dancefloor-fillers for his recent Greatest Hits retrospective. But following the disappointing sales of his derivative '60s soul pastiche The Truth About Love, the Brit and MOBO Award-winner has opted for something a little more contemporary for his fourth studio album, The Reason. Recorded in Miami, Los Angeles, and Sweden with a hotshot team of producers including Soulshock & Karlin (Beyoncé), Salaam Remi (Britney Spears), and Jim Jonsin (Nelly), it's undoubtedly a more concerted effort to halt the worrying career slide that saw his previous single, "Tick Tock," scrape in at a lowly number 45. But rather than panicking and overloading its ten tracks with processed beats and Hi-NRG trance riffs, The Reason wisely plays it more subtle, bridging the gap between his old-fashioned previous output and a more modern electro-focused sound. So for every shimmering synth-led R&B number ("If She Knew"), there's an authentic attempt at Marvin Gaye-esque soul ("Not What You Say"), and for every Usher-inspired slow jam ("Wait Forever"), there's a crack at Little Richard-style bluesy jazz-pop ("Heartbreaker"). While The Reason's lack of originality still leaves Lemar searching for a full body of work that lives up to the standards of his vocal talents, its blend of old school and new school is a marked improvement on his previous vintage soulman routine, which should help to reverse his decreasing chart fortunes.
© Jon O'Brien /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:37:51
- Main artists: Lemar
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Epic
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B R&B
(P) 2008 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
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