Ain't Nothin' Like Me

by

Joe

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After disappointing fans with 2003's And Then, JOE returns with one of the best R&B albums of 2007 thus far and his most strongest release since 2000's My Name Is Joe. Joe has always been talented singer but given medico re production a singer of his caliber will disappoint. Thankfully JOE enlisted the heavy hitters for this album and does disappoint. The album opens up with the banger Get To Know Me feat. Nas followed by the first single If I Was Your Man. with it's truthful lyrics and production by Stargate If I Was Your Man is the most heartfelt song JOE has recorded since 1997's Good Girls. Sean Garrett, Bryan-Michael Cox, Johnta Austin, the Underdogs, and Cool & Dre all provide production on slow jams and on up tempo tracks club tracks. This album also features some rappers cameo's including Dre,Papoose, Fabolous and G-Unit's Young Buck & Tony Yayo. Buck & Yayo trade verses with JOE on my favorite up-tempo song Ain't Nothin Like Me which could serve as the sequel to If I Was Your Man. Finally what would a JOE album be without ballads. Two of the strongest ballads are My Love and Let's Just Do It. On his sixth CD Joe has maintained relevant and reliable since he debuted that other artist's should take notes on.

He's right. There aren't too many R&B artists like him. When R&B is starting to sound like watered-down rap music, I appreciate the R&B artists who keep it old school and let their melodic voices be the main voice of the album. But on this album, Joe did what a lot of R&B artists are doing now though; he put a bunch of rap guests on the album and for me, it killed some of the best songs. A prime example of that would be "Just Relax." Joe still has a beautiful voice and is forever singing about some dramatic relationship issues, but I wish he'd take it back the way he was before. I love that song "Where You At" above all others and would definitely play that song out, but that was the only song that really struck a chord with me. There are circumstances when a hip hop lyricist can compliment a song, and Papoose had that down because he knew what level to rap on, not too hardcore, slightly vulnerable. The rest of the rappers came a little too hard for me. It was like walking around with Timberlands on when a baby just went to bed. Loud. I still support Joe though but I hope he has less rap on his next album. I love hip hop and rap is okay, but there are times when it's just not necessary and Joe can hold his own without it.