Shining Star
The fact that he's underrated may actually motivate Raheem DeVaughn, because Love Behind the Melody has more of a sense of immediacy, of urgency, than some of his past work. It's almost like he's trying to make sure you pay attention to him and his music. The album's chock full of well-constructed, accessible songs, from the sprung-and-proud "Love Drug" to the radio-friendly "Butterflies," to the simmering "Mo Better." This is a very solid album with at least half a dozen songs that could have been bona fide radio hits, that is, before terrestrial radio in the U.S. sank to the dismal level it's at today.Raheem himself recently said - and it's absolutely true - that this is an album meant to be judged as a whole, instead of in pieces. So while it's true that there are many outstanding tracks that stand out, among them the magnificent, Grammy-nominated "Woman" and the lovemaking-as-exercise ode "Marathon" (which features Floetry), the album is best listened to as a whole package, instead of in pieces. When listened to from beginning to end, you understand the big picture of what Raheem is doing with the album. And what he's done is create a portrayal of all the different shades of love: pure love, sad love, joyous love, unwavering love, etc.
Vivid, Sophisticated
Although Raheem's a strong, aggressive vocalist, he isn't the most powerful, so he wisely plays to his strengths on this album and doesn't stray too far from slow ballads and mid-tempo love music. The one notable song where he significantly strays from the formula and the album's overall love theme is on the party anthem "Friday (Shut The Club Down)," an ode to partying. "Friday" is by no means a bad song - in fact it might win Raheem more new fans than any other track on the album - but the song's tone is drastically more upbeat and carefree than the rest of the album, making it stand out somewhat. But it doesn't come close to derailing the album.Over the course of Love Behind the Melody, Raheem's portrayal of love's many flavors is a vivid, sophisticated one, and thankfully contains none of the shallow, idealized versions of romance that are often pushed upon all of us in some music. Simply put, this album contains real love talk for real grown folks. And anyone who's been through some things in life will be able to relate to the emotions, sentiments and small chunks of drama that make up the album.
