Raheem DeVaughn has quickly established himself as one of the giants in adult R&B. He's become a niche artist by sticking firmly to his script: he makes bedroom music, and almost nothing else. The Love & War Masterpiece is exactly like his other previous work, which means he'll still appeal to his core audience, and few others will notice his music.
The Love & War Masterpiece is essentially one slow, syrupy love song after another. He makes a couple of attempts to branch out - the first two songs feature rappers (Ludacris and Wale), and they speed up his normal tempo from slow to just laid back. It works fairly well, but once the brief experimentation is finished, DeVaughn gets right back to his niche.
As a singer, Raheem DeVaughn is a mix of Maxwell and Anthony Hamilton, without the vocal distinctiveness of either. He doesn't have a great voice, but he has a nice one, and it serves his music well. He actually sounds better on his more up-tempo songs, which make up the first third of the album. When the music slows down, it makes for a good background (which is really the point), but he doesn't have enough personality to make great slow music (as opposed to, say, Jill Scott).It says something that the highlights of this album are the moments when he steps out of his box, like the two war-themed songs tacked to the end
For people looking for nice romantic music, Raheem is a safe choice. He's a "nice" singer. Nobody will ever dislike him, and he's nowhere near as self-absorbed as most R&B artists. If you're a woman, this album is about you, not him. That's a charming tack that too many singers miss, and combined with a nice voice and nice music, it's just easy on the ears.
The Love & War Masterpiece is a nice, soothing love album. It's also exactly the same as all of his other albums, but if you care enough to read this, that's probably not a problem. It's not a masterpiece, but it's good enough to be included in any playlist that includes his peers.
+ Good, soothing music.
+ The execution is brilliant; there's never an off moment.
+ DeVaughn is an unassuming, charming lyricist
- For lack of a better word, boring.
- Do you have a Raheem DeVaughn album? It's exactly the same.
Rating: 3/5
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