After the righteous blast of gospel that was I Need an Angel, Ruben Studdard?s oh-so-secular disc, The Return, can be a little disconcerting: he of the velvet voice and teddybear looks wants to get you loose (see "Get U Lo... more »ose"), but more importantly, he wants to get you used to the fact that, cuddly nickname or no, he's--lookout, ladies!--a playa. "Let me start by saying I'm not tryin' to get in your jeans," sings the man most of the world recognizes as a nice religious boy on the appealingly crackly "Let Me Make You Feel Beautiful." By the next track, though, he gets to the point: "Your body my body gonna be friends." And so it goes with the rest of the disc: diamonds shine off of his cuffs on "What Tha Business Is," a bouncy but burly club track; "To Da Crib" traffics in pure seduction ("I'm tellin' you, you won't forget it girl, even though you thought he rocked your world") and tosses in the N word for effect; and "Blow Ya Mind" extends a straightforward invitation--"take your clothes off/it'll feel right." It's not that Studdard, whose voice is in as fine a form as it was in 2003 when he won "American Idol," comes off as lecherous here--there have been far dirtier R&B discs--but he does give his sweet Southern persona a run for its money. Still, check him out: with Luther gone, there may be no smoother R&B torchbearer. --Tammy La Gorce« less
After the righteous blast of gospel that was I Need an Angel, Ruben Studdard?s oh-so-secular disc, The Return, can be a little disconcerting: he of the velvet voice and teddybear looks wants to get you loose (see "Get U Loose"), but more importantly, he wants to get you used to the fact that, cuddly nickname or no, he's--lookout, ladies!--a playa. "Let me start by saying I'm not tryin' to get in your jeans," sings the man most of the world recognizes as a nice religious boy on the appealingly crackly "Let Me Make You Feel Beautiful." By the next track, though, he gets to the point: "Your body my body gonna be friends." And so it goes with the rest of the disc: diamonds shine off of his cuffs on "What Tha Business Is," a bouncy but burly club track; "To Da Crib" traffics in pure seduction ("I'm tellin' you, you won't forget it girl, even though you thought he rocked your world") and tosses in the N word for effect; and "Blow Ya Mind" extends a straightforward invitation--"take your clothes off/it'll feel right." It's not that Studdard, whose voice is in as fine a form as it was in 2003 when he won "American Idol," comes off as lecherous here--there have been far dirtier R&B discs--but he does give his sweet Southern persona a run for its money. Still, check him out: with Luther gone, there may be no smoother R&B torchbearer. --Tammy La Gorce
"Glad to see Ruben step out of the American Idol zone and bring it to us like a man. I listened to the entire CD yesterday on a first listen site, not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised. Great balance of songs on this disc. From the slow and sultry "Blow Ya Mind" to the up-tempo groove of "What The Business Is," the CD sizzles. Favorites, "Blow Ya Mind," "Our Story" and "I'm Not Happy." Oh yeah, I cringed at the idea of a cover, especially a Luther cover, but was overwhelmed by the awesomeness of "If Only For One Night." Great homage to Mr. Vandross. Huge step-up from "Soulful.""
Three for the talent
. | Chicago, IL USA | 11/11/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Ruben Studdard could become one of our great singers ...-could-... but greatness is more than just making a nice sound come out of your mouth: Studdard's recordings don't have the consistency of point of view that comes from the ARTIST -having- a point of view. (Example: A much less technically adept singer, Madonna, for instance, can work with any number of producers, and yet a listener can -hear- that no tune is released until -she- approves it.) Studdard has to stop taking everyone else's word on what works. Sure, you use experts in each field to put the project together, but it's YOUR project. It's time to take charge of your career, this aint "American Idol" anymore. It's not terrible, it just ain't Ruben."
Back to the basics!
Marvin L. Robinson | Pennsauken N.J.(USA) | 04/02/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"EVEN THOUGH HE WAS GIVING THANKS TO GOD IN HIS PREVIOUS ALBUM,WHICH WAS ALL GOOD,HE BROUGHT IT BACK TO WHAT ENDEARED HIM TO WHAT HAS GROWN TO MILLIONS OF FANS. FANTASTIC ALBUM(CD!) CONTINUE TO PUT OUT BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU. M.L.ROBINSON-PENNSAUKEN,N.J."
Nice... I like...
D. Churchill | Atlanta, GA | 03/13/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I'd wanted this album the moment I knew he was coming back mainstream. I'm really feeling track 4, Get Loose has a upbeat tempo and the language is comical. The lyrics throughout the whole thing's very catchy. Not too many tracks I don't care for. I can listen to the CD all the way through and not get annoyed. The big Teddy Bear has such a beautiful voice. Highly recommend."
(3.5 Stars) Maybe He Should 'Return' To The Studio!
Charles L. Hubbert | Milwaukee, WI | 02/08/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The 'velvet teddy bear' resurfaced this year after being out of the limelight for awhile. The American Idol winner has shed a massive amount of weight and continues to strive to lose more. But one thing that is certain is that being gone for so long can have a big impact when it comes to a musical career. Ruben Studdard was hoping that his new album The Return would live up to his debut album. But some might be surprised that the album isn't as polished as that shiny bald head of his.
The first single "Change Me" sounds too much like "Sorry 2004" to me. It's still a decent song, but the formula of recreating previous hits just doesn't sit well with fans. Songs like the title track "The Return," "I'm Not Happy," "Get U Loose," and "What Tha Business" are good, but the production and mid-tempo melodies don't complement Ruben's powerful singing ability at all. Some of the better tracks on the album are the seductive "Our Story," the second single "Make Ya Feel Beautiful," and "One Side" (the last two tracks were penned by Ne-Yo). But Ne-Yo missed the mark with "Rather Just Not Know" with objectionable lines like "Tell me another lie/ make me believe it's all in my mind/ tell me you were out with your girls last night/ and that my boys didn't see you with another guy." Other good songs are the self-explanatory "Blow Ya Mind" and the bonus track "If Only For One Night," a cover of the late, great Luther Vandross.
It's almost a blessing in disguise that Ruben's album isn't a knockout hit. He needs to take his time and grow into a respectable artist that people can learn to love and appreciate over time. Even the greats like Luther and Stevie didn't have all 5-star albums throughout their career. So just because this album isn't a classic doesn't mean it's not respectable. The Return does what it's supposed to do...fulfill the void that his fan base has been feeling in his absence and further demonstrate that he's a viable R&B artist who will stand the test of time.