At one point in time R&B seemed to be suffering, gone were the classic days of BoyzIIMen, R. Kelly appeared to be spending more time in court than in the studio and the likes of acts such as the great Musiq Soulchild were categorized as neo-soul and distanced away from the mainstream. 2008 saw a revival thanks to artists such as The Dream and mainly I would say Ne-Yo(nobody has been so influential in modern R&B since R. Kelly, well..until that incident with his weak bladder and the underage girl). Now following this revival of R&B and the success of his debut is J. Holiday, with his new album ‘Round 2’. In particular, one track which has stood out for me is ‘Run Into My Arms‘, the production, the lyrics, the arrangement, it all fits as one of those classic old school feeling love songs.
I just think that the song possesses the no frills treatment that most songs today lack, there is no guest feature to promote sales, it is carefully created and where i feel that the song could be even better, i also believe that it stands out by far among many of today’s R&B hits.
Lyrically the song is so basic yet honest, no really clever wordplay is needed to express the feeling, a plus point even as it portrays the message far easier and clearer this way.
To me this is like his previous hit ‘Suffocate’, it has that honest and realistic feel to it, many can relate and understand the concept itself. Production wise it is not as finely executed but i feel that it gives it a more raw and soulful element, it adds to the feeling the song offers.
I’m looking forward to hearing the rest of the album and will no doubt review another track by him soon, until then..enjoy!!
ONE Fáris 