Stone Rollin’ is the newest album from the R&B/soul revival king of the moment Raphael Saadiq. Saadiq is carrying the torch for classic, driving R&B, soul and blues music that both evokes the days of yore and has a great energy and rhythm to it. With this album Saadiq has basically mastered and perfected every aspect of a classic soul or rhythm and blues album, as there is some electric energy, some great riffs and just a killer vibe throughout the record. That being said, the album does not necessarily really offer too much that is really new or unique, it just does all of these things better than anyone else. It is fairly straightforward and simple, but that is how it works best. It is a throwback album that doesn’t sound dated or stale at all, Saadiq kicks this one up with a great energy and has delivered a standout album that does the genre proud.
From the opening riffs of “Heart Attack” you can really tell the energy and passion that is going to go into this record. From “Heart Attack” into “Radio”, Saadiq delivers some great riffs and a fiery performance to where you can really feel the momentum in this record. The songs have fairly simple progressions and themes throughout, but this is an album that is a sort of expert thesis on the soul, R&B record and it is a precisely created example of a modern version of those records. As the album continues on there are a few more unique styles and riffs that continue to be explored, he also ventures into some jammier, more introspective types of songs on “Movin’ Down The Line” and “The Answer”.
The album just plays like a how-to book on how to really play and get into R&B and soul. It borrows heavily from those that have come before, but Saadiq also manages to put in a lot of heart into these songs to make them something special and something more modern. It is always a danger when really exploring classic genres like this of an album sounding dated or being too much of a copycat record, but Saadiq here really has done a great job of building up some songs that really move and shake and have some great rhythm to them. This is an album that I’m not sure that anyone could really dislike, every song will get your feet tapping, and this is a supreme example of how great this new soul movement can be. The album is not completely new or completely groundbreaking, but it is an album that takes some genres and styles that Saadiq clearly knows well and builds songs around those styles and just knocks it out of the park. It’s not entirely new or original, but it is an expertly executed R&B/soul record and worth a listen.
“Stone Rollin’” by Raphael Saadiq from Stone Rollin’
