Album Review
Kevin Michael – Kevin Michael
Being billed as the new soul sensation to hit America, Kevin Michael releases his debut album.
And the main concern of the record company is to make sure that anyone scanning the shelves of the record stores are aware of the heavy hitting, credible artists with guest spots, as a large sticker announces the appearances of Lupe Fiasco, Q – Tip and Wyclef Jean. To be honest it is actually these appearances that make this album listenable.
Kevin Michael definitely possesses a unique soulful voice but after the first three tracks (featuring respectively Lupe, Wyclef and rapper Shorty Da Kid) there just isn’t enough variation or quality to sustain interest, fourth track Ha Ha Ha features a half hearted rip off of The Ying Yang Twins filthy Whisper Song (Wait) with its rumbling minimal bass line and then it all descends into poor RnB with very few distinguishing features as Kevin Michael slips into a cross between the sex obsessed, original thug you can hug, R Kelly and the sex obsessed falsetto Prince, even going as far as re-inventing/copying the Prince penned hit Nothin Compares 2 U on Ain’t Got You, complete with a very familiar string arrangement.
As the quality control deteriorates throughout the album so to does the writing ability, slipping from showing real potential at the start, to cringe worthy, to laughable, thirteen original tracks is too much of a stretch and most of the latter part of the album is nothing more than filler of very little merit with the exception of the opening two tracks making a re-appearance as acoustic led bonuses to close the album.