Back 2 Life

Album review

The rollout for LeToya Luckett's third album -- her first one since 2009 -- truly began with "Back 2 Life," a fine downcast breakup ballad quoting Soul II Soul's "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)." Rather than echo Caron Wheeler's dauntless optimism, Luckett turned it into resignation and capped the refrain with "I love you even though you ain't good for me." The single reappears as the second track on the album, retitled as "B2L" with an intro that captures a real-sounding scene from a faltering relationship. The greater portion of Back 2 Life comes from a similar place of romantic turmoil, but its moments of pain and unease do alternate with warm slow jams and assured dancefloor grooves with the singer facing new horizons. A couple tracks ineffectively latch onto the trap trend, and then there's the matter of some unnecessarily harsh drums (especially so on "Used To") and a couple overly tinny moments elsewhere. "In the Name," however, is a faultless ballad that sounds '80s classic and 2010s fresh at once, not unlike Teyana Taylor's "Request" before it. A career highlight, that, "B2L," and sweet opener "I'm Ready" make Back 2 Life worthy of notice.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo