After innumerable setbacks, Ryan Leslie's self-titled official debut hit physical and virtual shelves last week. Reviews for the release by mainstream music press are generally in favor of the wunderkind who, while still bearing partial blame for unleashing Cassie upon the unsuspecting masses, continues to redeem himself with random displays of creative prowess. The consensus here is that his production is on-point and not hindered by current trends (unless you count the Auto-Tune heavy "Gibberish," which, in fairness, seems to have been made in the spirit of parody), his vocals are serviceable and the complete package is, for lack of a better word, safe. Check out a sampling of the reviews after the bounce and offer your thoughts in the comments.
Unlike Ne-Yo, Leslie's vocals are more concerned with style than strength, (a single ballad is nonexistent) often knotting cozy rhymes with soprano stung harmonies, such as in the album's opener, "You're Fly," a buoyant choral courtship, summery enough to tempt a bee into winter. However mid-ranged tunes are not always the concern, as The-Dream has managed to effectively veil with quirky, quippy lyricism. For Leslie all the necessary old ideas are there: guy gets hooked on girl ("Addiction"), guy loses girl ("How It Was Supposed to Be"), guy wants girl back ("Out Of the Blue"), and so forth. But the new spins needed to pluck Leslie from the grasp of lyrical genericism, remain for the most part, blatantly absent. Though the oddly seducing, hardly decipherable, warbles of "Gibberish," pitch an interesting curveball on an otherwise restrained playing field.
What took Universal Motown so long to release this attractive body of work? That's the question R&B aficionados may find themselves asking after one listen to Leslie's much-delayed self-titled debut. With its smooth melodies ("Just Right"), fresh beats ("Diamond Girl") and effortlessly suave lyrics ("Quicksand"), the album satisfies from beginning to end.
Inevitably, Ryan Leslie is a producer's record; its cutest moments -- neo-New Jack bounces, lonely electro loops, nursery-rhyme Auto-Tunes -- are studio gold. Last year's lead single, "Diamond Girl," shoves too much retro soul in your face. But Leslie is one R&B singer who knows how to drop to his knees and leap to his falsetto: Hey, single ladies, this is a guy who'll put a ring on it.
Another plus is that production-wise, Ryan doesn't follow trends or regurgitate the same ol' same ol' stuff that's been overdone the past couple of years. In other words, there's no pseudo-Hip Hop jams, no club tracks, and no guest appearances except on the previously-mentioned "Addicted." Pretty much all the songs are low key, mid-tempo ballads. But although there are many highlights on the album, there's a few drawbacks, too. Ryan never establishes himself as a great singer, and about halfway through the album, most of the songs start to sound generic. Ryan makes up for that on the album's closing track, "Gibberish," which is an Auto Tuned-out ballad parodying artists like T-Pain and The-Dream.
