The Philly born singer, Musiq Soulchild, has never been an artist who can be neatly packed away in a box and labeled one particular thing. Although he blazed onto the scene during the emergence of the Neo-Soul movement, he has experimented with various genres and personas during his 16 year career. He’s dabbled with Reggae on a collaboration album with R&B soultress, Syleena Johnson, and ventured into Hip-hop and experimental, inspirational soul as alter-egos, The Husel and Purple Wondaluva. Diehard fans have anxiously awaited his return to “the basics” which he showcases plenty of in his new independently released album Life on Earth. Gone are the days of his affiliation with the major labels Def Soul and Atlantic. Instead, he resurfaces on, My Block, a boutique label associated with eOne which is spearheaded by Grammy-winning producer Warryn Campbell (Mary Mary, Kanye West, Alicia Keys). They previously worked together on Luvanmusiq and OnMyRadio, both of which topped Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop album chart. Campbell’s influence can easily be heard on the finger snapping track, “I do” and “Wait a Minute” where R&B and hip-hop collide similarly to his earlier hit “B.U.D.D.Y.”. Musiq gets his “grown & sexy” on with the songs, “Who Really Loves You” and “Loving You”, the latter co-written by Raphael Saadiq. He effortlessly taps into his inner Earth, Wind & Fire swag on the horn laden “Changed my Mind”. With Life on Earth he’s proved that, although his musical detours have been appreciated, he can never go wrong returning to R&B that is deeply rooted in soul and a lot of heart!
