J. Holiday
Round 2 (Capitol)
Two years ago, J. Holiday’s honeyed breakthrough, “Bed,” struck the summer like an unexpected heat wave. Its success mainly boiled from a sui generis sincerity mastered by both The-Dream and Los Da Mystro, as well as a pleasant delivery by Holiday himself. It was sex tales told the old-fashioned way, clean of aggressive gait and boastful swagger, but classy with suave seduction. Guiding that mantra into his second album, Round 2 (Capitol) – a title coincidentally foreshadowed in the lyrics of his 2007 hit – Holiday channels the ingenuity of vintage pre-millennium R&B, yet slightly shrugs off what may have been his contemporary necessaries.
Throughout Round 2, it’s easy to assume that Holiday would rather honeymoon than one-night-groove. On “Run Into My Arms,” the charming crooner reassures his gentleman status with lines like, “Baby you can run into my arms / And baby you know that I will do no harm / Cause I can be your everything / Your superman whatever you need”. Simple and soft, the mid-tempo cut is reminiscent of late 90s classics of Joe and Case, but is too supple for an indelible punch. “Fall,” “Don’t Go,” “Forever Aint Enough” and “Sing 2 U” (inspired by Jodeci’s 1995 favorite “Freek'n You”) all sip on the same formula, spewing variants of love that are both romantically relatable yet indistinguishably charactered. “Fly” finds the perfect balance of old and modern however, boarding Holiday’s falsetto on a soaring melodic flight. While “Homeless” and “Hold On Baby” find the singer briefly peeking out his comfort zone in both theme and production, pleasantly cracking the previous monotony.
Round 2 may pay homage to classic blueprints of the past, but questions J. Holiday’s strength as a contender in today’s R&B ring.
Holiday's latest hit stores on 3/10/09
Round 2’s Track Listing
1. Intro
2. It's Yours
3. Fall
4. Don't Go
5. Wrong Lover (featuring Rick Ross)
6. Run into My Arms
7. Sing 2 U
8. Lights Go Out
9. Make That Sound
10. Forever Ain't Enough
11. Fly
12. Homeless
13. I Tried
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