Love Behind The Melody Reviews

• Raheem DeVaughn presents Chapter 2 of "The Love Experience" with "Love Behind The Melody".

  
  By AGAMDS21PJZPK on 2008-01-23
  I was introduced to Raheem DeVaughn when I heard the song "Guess Who Loves You More". The song sampled the classic Earth, Wind & Fire track "Can't Hide Love" and the song quickly became one of my favorites in the year 2004. I was anticipating the release of Raheem's debut CD but the project kept getting pushed back. I finally heard another track "Believe", which was a nice slow jam and finally in 2005 we were blessed with Raheem DeVaughn debut CD entitled The Love Experience. The title track instantly became my favorite track as Raheem went through the experiences in his life when he did people wrong and people did him wrong when the word love became involved. Since, he had personal experiences to be able to relate to, he had a better understanding of what love was. My other favorite tracks ended up being "You", "Breathe", "Where I Stand", "Ask Yourself" and "Who". This CD remained in heavy rotation for awhile and I was definitely looking forward to see what the future held for Raheem DeVaughn.
  
  I began to hear a track from Raheem entitled "Woman" and I was glad to hear that the track was the 1st single from his new CD entitled "Love Behind The Melody". Raheem's dedication to every grandmother, mother, sister and baby mama across the world was produced by Carl "Chucky" Thompson who produced Emily King's East Side Story that was released last year. If you do not have Emily's CD you should definitely pick that up. It's one of my favorite r&b releases from 2007.
  
  "Love Behind The Melody" was released on January 15, 2008. After the 1st single, Raheem gives us "Love Drug" which was produced by Scott Storch. This track doesn't sound like anything that he has produced before and Raheem is able to tell us about how he and his partner are addicted to each other's lovin'. "Energy" features Big Boi from Outkast and Scott Storch returns to produce an uptempo banger. "Energy" will end up sounding like the uptempo version of "Love Drug" but Raheem's voice and Big Boi's rap will definitely keep you on the dance floor for a little over 3 minutes. Now as a r&b fan, there are certain songs that you don't try to remake or to sample. Well, Kwame, yes that same Kwame from his polka dot days when he had "The Rhyhtm", samples The Temptations' "My Girl" to make "Friday". The production is the best part of the song as Raheem definitely violates with "I guess you'll say what can make me feel this way, Friday!, Friday!, Friday!". Then he proceeds to want to "Shut the club down". Make sure that you just skip this track when you listen to this CD. "Customer" is decent but compared to the rest of the slow jams on "Love Behind The Melody" it seems as if Raheem was doing some major reaching on this track. "You can have it your way, you're the customer". "You can have me supersized, with some lovin' on the side". No thanks Raheem. However, things get much better on "Mo Better". Once you hear this track, you will immediately forget about the missteps on "Friday" and "Customer". Irregardless of how his life is going Raheem is just thankful to have his "baby" in his life. Jack Splash does a nice job on the production and this is clearly my favorite track on "Love Behind The Melody". Malik Yusef does a nice spoken word rap on "Woman I Desire" and sets up the next track rather nicely. Malik Yusef was featured with Common & Kanye West on "Would You Like To Ride", which was featured on the Coach Carter soundtrack. "Desire" is another nice track as Raheem wants a particular woman to stop teasing him and playing games as his longing for her is getting to a point where he can no longer wait to be with her. "Marathon" features Floetry as the hits just keep on coming. Marsha Ambrosius is simply phenominal on this track as she and Raheem go back and forth to sing some sweet, sensual lyrics. "Butterflies" goes back to "The Love Experience" as the song sounds just like a track that would have been on Raheem's debut. This song had to grow on me, but I feel that you will be impressed with the track after a few listens. "She's Not You" has Raheem in a situation where he has the right woman in his life and he knows that, but he is saying that should he decide to stray, get another woman's phone number or if he even decides to be with another woman, that no woman could compare to his #1 lady. "Can We Try Again?" is an interlude that sets up "Try Again" pretty good as Raheem is trying to get a woman back in his life that he did wrong. He realizes his mistakes and he is willing to do whatever it takes to get this woman back. Mark Batson, who did some production on Anthony Hamilton's "Ain't Nobody Worryin'" does a nice job on the midtempo "Try Again". The infamous slow jam man Bryan Michael Cox produces another one of my favorites in "Energy". Soon I will have to pass a law that says no r&b CD can be released without atleast one slow jam from Bryan Michael Cox. Check his resume, he has the slow jam down to a science. Raheem speaks about a woman who his so special that your life wouldn't be anything without this particular special lady in their life. I can definitely can relate to this song. "Four Letter Word" ends things on a good note as Raheem has another track to let us know how love has him feeling.
  
  If you purchased "Love Behind The Melody" from Circuit City then you were blessed with the bonus track, "Some Kind Of Way". Some woman must have Raheem "wide open"..lol as Raheem feels like a king on a throne, with this woman on his arm. Other than "Friday" and "Customer", Raheem has blessed us with a nice r&b CD to start 2008 out right. Some fans of "The Love Experience" may be disappointed because this CD does have more of a r&b sound to it but the majority of the fans of Raheem's debut will have "Love Behind The Melody" in heavy rotation just like I do at the present time. If you enjoyed "The Love Experience" then you'll also enjoy "Love Behind The Melody".
  
  James' Top 5
  
  1) Mo Better
  2) Empty
  3) Marathon w/Floetry
  4) Woman
  5) Desire
  
  Honorable Mention:
  
  Try Again
  Energy w/Big Boi
  Love Drug
  Butterflies
  Four Letter Word
  Some Kind Of Way (Bonus Track)
  
  
  

• The man behind the melody

  
  By A2WRWK0ARXOFSZ on 2008-01-15
  Sophomore album for Raheem Devaughn is just as good if not better than the first album. The album just like the first displays the vocals of the very talented raheem devaughn over some very good tracks. Track by track he displays his love and respect for women. It is good to hear an adult album amongst the slew of albums that have been released by teenagers lately. The only song on the album I didn't care for is FRIDAY (SHUT DOWN THE CLUB). Its not a bad song, it just doesn't really fit in on this album. All the other songs are bangers. Some of my go to songs are DESIRE, EMPTY, and MARATHON featuring Floetry. This album is dope don't sleep!!!!!
  
  

• A trip back in time..

  
  By A24N1BAS3CU27H on 2008-02-24
  Raheem DeVaughn's sophomore disc "Love behind the melody" debuted at #5 on Billboard, and got a Grammy nomination for the lead off single, "Woman" (a lovely anthemic midtempo ode to women with a sparse bassline), well deserved success after his critically acclaimed but largely overlooked debut.
  
  Raheem is the latest in a long line of Neo Soul crooners like Maxwell, D'Angelo, John Legend and Musiq Soulchild who owe a lot to Marvin Gaye and seventies Stevie Wonder.
  
  If you like live instrumentation, a breezy soul sound, and layered harmonies, then this is for you; The lovely "Love drug" being a fine example. Other standouts are the woozy echoey Gaye-like intro "Midnight" which segues seamlessly into the beautiful "Marathon" featuring UK soulstresses Floetry and some awesome vocal layering (they can both be considered one song as they are musically identical), the stunning "She's not you" (excellent vocals oscillating between falsetto and full vocals), and the lovely John Legend sounding piano intro "Can we try again" (with excellent vocal layering in the background) which segues into the more upbeat "Try again" (with nice horns and a skittery beat). "Customer" is a more contemporary sounding ballad, while the 7 minute plus "Mo better" is pure classic seventies soul, even featuring a spoken section. The instrumentation (piano, guitars, rolling percussion and horns) is really intricately layered. "Woman I desire" is poetry set to a semi hip hop back drop, wouldn't sound out of place on a Jill Scott or Floetry CD.
  
  Quiet storm isn't all he does though. Upping the tempo are the aptly titled "Energy" (with a throbbing bassline, swathing strings, soothing harmonies, and a rap from Outkast's Big Boi), the retro sounding "Friday (Shut the club down)" (which samples the riff and chorus of The Temptation's hit "My girl"), and the horn sprinkled Motown sounding "Butterflies" (dreamy and nice).
  
  Anytime one begins to lament about the current state of music, a stunning CD like this comes along to restore one's faith in the power of good music. Here's hoping for more success for raheem.
  
  

• DeVaughn busts 2008 wide open with his sophmore album, "Love Behind the Melody"

  
  By AJK5WHV1GW941 on 2008-01-15
  After the releases of "The Love Experience" and "Love Behind the Melody", Raheem DeVaughn hasn't a thing to prove to anyone. He is a very talented vocalist and his lyrics are definitely among the best when comparing them to his male contemporaries. His words will keep a smile on your face. He says things that will make a woman's heart skip beats. "Love Behind the Melody" is such an impressive album, I can't decide which is better between it and his amazing "The Love Experience." I would say that this one is more consistent than his first, so it has the upper hand. "Love Behind the Melody" is inundated with ballads and mid-tempos with lots of piano and drum, lots of sincerity, all the work of a seemingly sincere and mellow gentleman.
  
  I'm a sucker for live instrumentation, and this album has much of that! "Love Drug" has crafty lyrics as well as some talented individuals on the instruments. "Friday (Shut the Club Down)" samples The Temptation's hit "My Girl." I had a great time listening to this song, especially the parts where DeVaughn apes the Temps. "Desire" and "Marathon" have somewhat eerie production, but are remotely enjoyable nonetheless. "Marathon" features two incredibly talented women, Floetry! Their collaboration with DeVaughn is alright, but with all this talent in one studio, a better result surely could have been birthed. Oh, well. "Four Letter Word" is one of the more memorable moments on this LP. I particularly reveled in the melody; it is nothing short of fantastic! Also, this album's production is all kind of similar, but this song is very different than the rest of the album. It is imperative that everyone pay special attention to the lyrics on the phenomenal song, "Woman." This is easily one of the best songs dedicated to women in decades. DeVaughn repeatedly thanks women for all they do, but I want to thank him as well for acknowledging us!
  
  I predict that this will be one of the best releases of the year 2008, hence the 5 star rating I granted it. He really gave his all, and the finished product proves that he can go toe to toe with each and every one of his male contemporaries. "Love Behind the Melody" will be a compliment to your music collection.
  
  Mikeisha's Top 5
  
  1. "Woman I Desire"
  2. "Customer"
  3. "Love Drug"
  4. "Four Letter Word"
  5. "Woman"
  
  
  

• talented cat,but alot of sleepy time material

  
  By A9Q28YTLYREO7 on 2008-01-23
  Raheem Devaughn has talent and shows moments of maybe hanging around,but much like Jaheim having soulful chops at times and being stuck with alot of cookie cutter material can weight you down and leave you lumped with alot of the same ole same. vocal runs are nice,but where are the stand out tracks? there isn't one real cut on this album that fully showcases what this cat might have done the road.everything is too polished and seems aimed at everything but the soul. like much of neo soul it is sleepy time music which is long on runs but short on a actual run of songs that make you want to have repeated listens.
  
  
• Oh My Word... Lightening has struck twice
  By A17PH9R4L5KLZH on 2008-01-15
  Yes. Yes. Lightening seems to be the only word I can associate with the great Raheem Devaughn. Since I've bought the cd I've had nothing but awe strike me just as lightening has. As good as the first one, fine tuned, and full of soul and thats saying a whole lot. Great Follow up album Mr.Devaughn. Since This review is a little premature considering the fact that I just purchased the album a couple of hours ago. Yes I love this album but..... Just like "Sweet tooth", " "Friday", leaves a lot to be desired, but all in all a winner. I can't seem to say enough about this man and his seemingly flawless music writing so I will let the album speak for itself. Again Good Work and I hope to see you and your twentith album someday.
  
  
  
• The real "R" in R&B!!!
  By A3DH22JDT341QP on 2008-01-16
  One listen to Love Behind The Melody & you'll understand why Raheem is R&B's best kept secret. He has crafted a musical masterpiece that gives new hope to people who feel that R&B has taken a nose dive due to teenage pop and Vocoders (T-Pain) or just total lack of focus from the artist (R. Kelly). He even managed to get the possible "last" song from the original Floetry! The only flaws I see are the Friday song & the fact that I would've enjoyed more full songs instead of interludes but they also set the scene for the next song to come. This album is clearly for the ladies but it also serves as a helpful tool for the fellas who have trouble expressing themselves, "She's Not You & Mo' Better" provide those tools! If you haven't heard The Love Experience pick it up & Play both in rotation and you'll hear great music and the new heir to the throne!....R. KELLY WATCH YOUR BACK! REAL R&B IS BACK!!!
  
  Top 5 Fav's
  1. Mo' Better
  2. She's Not You
  3. Marathon
  4. Desire
  5. Love Drug
  
  
• Very Bland!
  By A10J74PF3WIRUM on 2008-01-16
  It's a decent project but not solid and nothing mind blowing. Just not feeling that buzz inside on this one.
  
  Each song seems to move at the same galloping rate of boredom.
  
  Vocally Raheem's voice is just ok and the desperate sounding and pleading type singing appeals to women who are impressed by that, but all in all, his singing is unchanging and sounds the same and doesn't reach any remarkable ranges. At one point it sounds like he was channeling Maxwell.
  
  I just got tired after a while of listening.
  
  
• Devaughn is quite DIVINE
  By APDF47MA8O02B on 2008-01-17
  Absolutely worth picking up! Flows very nicely with the first CD (good idea from another reviewer). Lots of ballads which I love.
  
  Fave Tracks:
  *Woman - midtempo, definitely a great radio hit; Love the lyrics
  
  *Love Drug - what woman wouldn't love this ballad???
  
  *CUSTOMER - Hello???? You can't get enough of this guy's respect and love for women; great ballad
  
  *MARATHON - Love this ballad with Floetry, just beautiful
  
  *She's Not You - Class is in session! Take a lesson :-); nice ballad
  
  *Empty - nice ballad
  
  *Four Letter Word - Someone mentioned it reminds them of D'Angelo's "Untitled"...I totally agree. Still a great ballad.
  
  I subtracted a star for "Friday" - oh well, what can I say that everyone before me hasn't already said? I wish he had put that first just to get it over with.
  
  The other thing I don't care for is the interludes. I can do without those, although they aren't terrible. All in all it's a really good CD. If you're reading this and you're in the LA area, I found it at Target today for $10 ;-)
  
  PS - Any guy out there looking for the words to get back that special woman...consider this CD :-)
  
  
• 'Love' Is In The Air!
  By A27RIWPJMP3XYD on 2008-02-10
  After garnering some buzz from his debut release Love Experience, Raheem DeVaughn is ready to prove his worth to the masses once again. And with his second major label album Love Behind The Melody, he's got the goods to deliver once again. He stormed back onto radio playlists everywhere with "Woman," a eloquent ode to the opposite sex. One of the many standouts on the album has to be the electrifying ballad "Love Drug," a song that speaks to the addictive qualities that lovers share for one another. "Friday (Shut The Club Down)" incorporates both an old school feel (DeVaughn borrows the hook from the Temptations' classic "My Girl") with the bouncy feel of today's soul and hip-hop for one dynamite song to kick off anybody's end-of-the-week ritual (a la Johnny Kemp's "Just Got Paid"). "Customer" is yet another strong contender to be a radio single with the singer 'serving up his love' as the appetizer, main course, dessert, and nightcap. "Mo Better" talks about the worth and importance that the woman holds in his life. The result of having such a woman in your life helps to build an affection like no other, as explained in the song "Desire." The inclusion of Floetry on the song "Marathon" was undeniably ingenious, especially with the subtle suggestiveness that both Raheem and Floetry express all the time on their own projects. "Butterflies" can be regarded as experimental in nature for DeVaughn considering the mainstream balladry that rivals the musical offerings in soft rock or even a song labeled as easy listening. "She's Not You" basically explains that there is no other person that can compare, while "Try Again" is an attempt to try to recapture a love that was lost. Arguably the best track on the album is "Empty," a simple yet powerful song about how your heart would feel without that special loved one around. He summarizes the reason for the entire album with the album closer "Four Letter Word." With the confidence and backing of his record label coupled with yet another monster smash hit, Raheem DeVaughn has the ingredients to make Love Behind The Melody the captivating album that Love Experience should've garnered the first time around.
  
  
• Raheem Devaughn- The Love Behind The Melody
  By A17814AD8EWTN4 on 2008-01-15
  Well let me first start by saying, that i think the first album is better. Only a little bit though, which implies that this album is almost a near classic. The first album was a classic, this one is still classic album, but its just trailing TLE by a sliver. And anyone who listened to his first album know how amazing of a voice this man has, but for those who havent heard his first album will be blown away. Because this time around he really sings on a few of the tracks. You can definetly tell that he brought in some better producers on this album. It has a lot more of a radio friendly feel to it. As on his first album, there was not a single song that i considered radio friendly. There are a few tracks on this album that could be potential radio hits. Such as the second single "Customer" which for some odd reason reminds me of song that Usher would do, with its smooth but still sexy mid tempo sound. And then there is the almost club ready b .cox produced "Empty" which is the closest i think Raheem will get to a club banger. But he still has alot of that same grown n' sexy vibe on some of these songs as he did on his first album. The only thing is that the grown music on his first album is better than most of it on this album. Thats what really kept this album from being perfect like its predessor. Its still a amazing album, alot better than some of the other albums this year. The best song on the album as of yet in my opionion is "Shes Not You", which is another song with some radio quality with its mid tempo sexy feel even though the song is more about heartbreak than anything else. Its a amazing song, something different than hes ever done. But like i said earlier, it fell just short of the legendary album status like Love Expierience, but its still a classic from a sure to be legendary singer. I guess we cant expect perfect every time, but we can settle for great soul matireal in exchange.
  
  
  Grade:
  B+
  
  
• Beautiful Melodies from the Neo Soul Hippie
  By AU3XJ9QXC74SI on 2008-01-15
  I just picked up Mr. DeVaughn's CD from Circuit City today and it's excellent. There is an extra song titled "Some Kind of Way" that is off the hook. I would make an effort to purchase this song from CC for that extra tasty morsel. The song has an Isley Brothers vibe to it. As with his first CD, the production and lyric content is on point. There are more radio friendly songs on this go around ("Woman," "Customer" "Energy," and "Empty") but the songs do not lose any luster; Raheem still provides the listener with sexy grooves, tight lyrical content and smooth vocals. The only song that needs to be purged from this excellent CD is "Friday (Shut the Club Down)." In comparison to his last CD, this one comes close to surpassing the quality of that effort. Please don't sleep on this release.
  
  
• Selling Without Selling Out
  By AOZ2EJ4KPJIAK on 2008-01-15
  I got a sneak peek of some of the tracks on Raheem's new CD, and after hearing the rest this weekend, I think this is a very solid, if mainstream effort. This CD is definitely more radio-friendly than Raheem's first, but the songwriting and production are excellent. My favorites:
  
  Love Drug & Energy - I CANNOT believe these songs were produced by Scott Storch. Not what I would expect from him at all.
  
  Customer (I feel like I shouldn't like this song, but I do)...if you've ever seen Raheem live, you understand the "you can have it your way" BK references (smile).
  
  Marathon (although I prefer Rah's live version)
  
  She's Not You - This song has really grown on me.
  
  Four Letter Word, even though it reminds me a bit too much of D'Angelo's "Untitled". I still love it though.
  
  I have to agree with everyone on "Friday (Shut the Club Down)" - I HATE THAT SONG!!! It's so against everything that Raheem has done...not sure why he included it here. I have tried listening to it several more times since I got the CD, and I still skip through after 10 seconds.
  
  I hope Raheem sees more success with this CD. This CD seems to be geared towards getting Raheem more radio airplay, and I think he will have better luck with this one. Even though it is more mainstream than TLE, it still displays the best of Raheem.
  
  
• Extreme Let down!!!!!!!!!
  By AQ8BN78B1ZDPX on 2008-01-16
  Raheem DeVaughn's LOVE BEHIND THE MELODY was supposed to be the CD to shut down the game, but it ended up being a huge dud. This album is not Raheem Devaughn, and I do not know if he was trying a new style or trying to be a watered down R&B artist, but it is HORRID. From Woman to Shut the Club Down to Butterflies, song after song are a huge letdown. I was expecting more soul and more energy into his album, but all I got was tired music and decent lyrics. DESIRE is a track that is decent, but he is REMARKABLE on MARATHON, probably my favorite love song so far of 2008. If Raheem would have put more into the album like that song, it would have definitely been a smash, but im sticking to THE LOVE EXPERIENCE.
  
  
• For the Grown and Sexy audience...
  By A2CZMI6QP7071R on 2008-01-19
  I downloaded this CD about a week before it came out and didn't expect much out of it, I was VERY shocked when I actually listened to it. It's was nothing I had imagined. It's one of those CDs that you can play from beginning to end without a pause or skip. I liked it so much I went out on Tuesday and bought it the day it came out. I really like the songs Woman, Butterflies, Four Letter Word, Energy, and Customer. If you're debating on purchasing this CD you can Youtube on of those songs and I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. This is one of the few R&B albums I've heard as of late that has been traditional R&B, there's a lot of R&B artists that are talking about Range Rovers, Jewelery, and other material values in there music and I can't really get in to it. You wont find any of that on here, this is a great album and I would recommend it to anyone debating on purchasing it.
  
  
• Please don't lose the soul...
  By A33PCJZPX9HY71 on 2008-01-22
  This is a totally different CD from the Love Experience. It sounds like every other mediocre R&B CD that the radio is forcing down our throats. I cannot even force myself to play this CD from beginning to end. I loved Raheem's first CD so much, that I can overlook this "faux pas". I just pray that next time he comes back to the music that truly spoke to the soul, the Love Experience.
  
  
• DeVaughn is definitely on the way up
  By A70YTUFJY5HXN on 2008-02-06
  Raheem DeVaughn's The Love Experience was one of my more interesting buys of 2005. It was no runaway hit but it showed a lot of promise; the man showed originality, individuality and great talent, so much so that he immediately made it onto my of 'Unsung Heroes' list.
  
  This sophomore release is much better than his debut, at least musically. It leaves a little to be desired lyrically from where I'm sitting, as DeVaughn seems very limited indeed in terms of subject matter. All he sings about is sex, (dressed up as love, of course) and more sex with a bit of clubbing thrown in for variety. The only exception to this rule is "Woman", his lead single, which is a very respectable and heartfelt ode to, well, women. It's earned DeVaughn a Grammy nomination in the "best male r&b vocal performance" category. I say it deserves the accolade.
  
  But don't get me wrong; it's a great album to listen to and the quality of his music & vocals negates the facileness of his lyrics. He's definitely more soul than r&b in my opinion (though he describes himself as "the r&b hippy, neo-soul rock star" on the intro, "Hello Love...").
  
  Favourite tracks of mine like "Woman", "Energy", which features a couple of rhymes from OutKast's Big Boi, "Friday (Shut The Club Down)", "Mo Better", "Desire", "Midnight", "Marathon" featuring Floetry (whatever happened to them?), "Butterflies" (no, not the same tune Floetry wrote for Michael Jackson), "She's Not You" and "Four Letter Word" (my overall favourite song), not to mention stellar production from the likes of Kenny Dope, Carl "Chucky" Thompson, Scott Storch, KWAMÉ, Ivan "Orthodox" Barias & Carvin "Ransum" Haggins, Mark Baston, One up Entertainment, Bryan-Michael Cox, Blaq Smurph and Jack Splash, should ensure more people get to hear about this album than did the last one. It IS a long list of producers but their tunes actually sit comfortably next to each other.
  
  There's also plenty of live instrumentation on offer here. Lovers of music by people like Marvin Gaye, D'Angelo, Anthony Hamilton and Maxwell - just to name a few - will probably love this album. It's officially my first best buy of 2008. I see big things ahead for this young man. Highly recommended.
  
  
• A MUST HAVE!!!!
  By A2YL0K8YQZ2OWV on 2007-12-01
  Saw the video of the song titled Woman...didn't realize it was him without the braids. After listening to the song and allowing it to penetrate my mind, I put forth a lot of effort to go find the rest of the CD. Unfortunately, it's not out yet. Fortunately, I strongly believe it will be better than the last which was more than a love experience for me. I LOVE THAT ONE SONG!!! Can't wait to hear the rest.
  
  
• Nothing but the hotness
  By A2HOE7W5U7LPXH on 2008-01-15
  Wow, what can I say about this mans talent. I like this album more than the first. It's really for the grown and sexy. I do agree with the other review; "Friday (Shut the Club Down) doesn't really go, but applaud the man for trying to do something different. In an Rnb world ruled by teeny-boopers, it's refreshing to have an artist for the older heads. My favorite song is "Love Drug". This will def stay on rotation and be played over and over.
  
  
• Show Some Love for DeVaughn!
  By AK7KDHAYZLXQ6 on 2008-01-15
  I love this CD. My favorite is Marathon featuring Floetry. Very sexy song. Just like the other comments, Friday Shut the Club Down is not a good song. All other tracks are fantastic!
  
  
• I love it!!!!!!!!!!!
  By A2MQRI41ACBOF5 on 2008-01-18
  I love this cd. My favs are Women, Energy, Love Drug, etc. THe entire cd minus "Friday" is strong. I am a huge fan. Def won't regret your buy.
  
  
• fantastic
  By A3705Q659PXOV on 2008-01-19
  I loved the entire album minus that Friday song. My favorite is 'Empty'. I'd recommend this album to anyone who loves good music.
  
  
• VERY SOLID ALBUM
  By A3IBRVSSPFU9BA on 2008-01-23
  I definitely love the CD. I just recently started listening to his music a few months ago and I'm not disappointed one bit in this CD. My favorites just happen to be tracks two through six for some reason. I find myself repeating those a lot so far.
  
  My Top 5:
  1) Love Drug (on repeat at the moment)
  2) Customer
  3) Energy
  4) Woman
  5) Friday (I just love the Temptations sample)
  
  
• Solid Sophmore release for Raheim!
  By ARJQ9YMMJIW8Y on 2008-01-25
  Love behind the melody is good but Love experience was great. You could listen to the whole cd uninterrupted. With the 2nd CD I find myself skipping quite a few tracks to get to my favorites.Upon my first listen I was going to rate this at 3 stars but then I listened a few more times and said it is worthy of 4 stars. The flow of the CD could have been a little better for my taste. I was a little disappointed out of 16 full length tracks I only really dig 6 or 7. Overall a solid sophmore effort from this great artist. I hope to see him soon in concert w/ Jill Scott in Philly in March.
  
  My top tracks are as follows:
  
  Desire
  Marathon
  Mo Better
  Customer
  Energy
  Empty
  
  
• Good, solid music
  By A1CS44QKXDQW6T on 2008-01-27
  Love the album. Raheem is a solid song writer and a wonderful singer. His voice delivers the emotions that is lyrics are conveying. Overall great album, the one fast song not graet, it's definitely out of place.
  
  
• The "Vox" of underrated neo-soul
  By A1QEWOSV05RYEO on 2008-02-14
  Raheem DeVaughn is TRULY the voice of the underrated soul star. He is the "president" of a slew of R&B, specifically neo-soul artists who have been unable to tap into the success fellow neo-soul artists have been able to attain (namely Alicia Keys, Musiq Soulchild, Jaheim, Anthony Hamilton, and John Legend to name a few). While it might be an overstatement to say his debut, THE LOVE EXPERIENCE, went unnotice, a #46 debut on the Billboard 200 charts with a modest 22,000 copies as well as an eventual sales total of 225,000 sure didn't drive DeVaughn to mainstream success. 225,000 is less than 1/16 of what Alicia Keys's DIARY OF ALICIA KEYS sold! But like fellow underrated neo-soul star Angie Stone, DeVaughn has kept trucking. While Stone has two gold albums on him, DeVaughn's Grammy nominated LOVE BEHIND THE MELODY ("Woman") did something Stone has yet to do with four albums - scored a #5 debut on the Billboard 200 Chart. Commercial success aside, LOVE BEHIND THE MELODY is destined to be one of 2008's best R&B albums and could show up on Grammy ballots in 2009. It certainly receives my seal of approval.
  
  "Woman" is certainly a message of the greatness of women, something that doesn't run rampant on either male or female R&B/hip-hop albums lately. It is well produced, and DeVaughn's raw vocal power is phenomenal. He never oversings, but something about his nuances and overall performance never leaves the slightest bit to desire. "Love Drug" keeps up the pace with perhaps the most creative single that uses "drugs" in a positive way. DeVaughn sings: "I'm your drug/you can't kick it (got to have it)/you're so addicted/Cuz I'm your drug (but it's a two way street)/you'r my drug/ I can't kick it..." It is a home-run just when you thought things couldn't live up to the hype and greatness of "Woman". "Energy" isn't a let down either, though it isn't as impressive as the first two tracks. On "Friday (Shut The Club Down)", producer Kwame doesn't hide the fact that he lifts off of the Temptation's "My Girl" for inspiration (or music rather). It pays off, even if it may be one of the most obvious samples ever.
  
  "Customer" is another creative endeavor for DeVaughn as he sings "let me serve you up... you're the customer". It is certainly a refreshment to R&B after women have been compared previously to coca cola bottles as well as a slew of more lewd things. "Mo Better" is nearly eight minutes in duration, which is usually a "no-no" for R&B, but it is worth every bit of the 7:39. It is soulful and refined and is clearly one of DeVaughn's strongest vocal performances of the album, which has no filler. "Desire" as well as "Marathon" featuring Floetry are strong, if not as exceptional as the very best. "Butterflies" sounds like it would be at home of Van's Hunts ON THE JUNGLE FLOOR album with its soulful guitar production. "She's Not You" isn't the second-coming as far as soul is concerned, but it is a fine contemporary R&B track within this mostly neo-soul set. "Try Again" is one of my personal favorites featuring the brilliant production work of Mark Batson (Anthony Hamilton's "Can't Let Go", Alicia Keys's "Go Ahead"). "Empty" returns DeVaughn back to 2008, while "Four Letter Word" takes DeVaughn back on a vintage 1970s soul trip. Much like Jaheim (perhaps better though), DeVaughn balances the old with the new to make one of 2008's best albums, period. With the return of neo-soul stars Erykah Badu, perhaps even D'Angelo and Maxwell, 2008 could be R&B's year. 4 stars for this urban masterpiece.
  
  
• Loved it!!
  By A54SDSUVCWFNG on 2008-02-24
  I loved this CD. I especially liked Friday (Shut the Club Down) It sounded like I was in the club back in the day.
  
  
• Not as good as the 1st
  By A3TG9DYQMK7O9T on 2008-03-05
  Nobody loves the LOVE EXPERIENCE that I had with the 1st CD more than ME. So of course, I could not WAIT to hear Love Behind the Melody. However....I was VERY disappointed. I heard that Raheem got some new HOT producers for this CD....which I did not like sound of. New Producers sometimes = Common Radio Not Saying Much Songs. This CD is not a continuous play cd like the 1st. You will definitely be skipping over some songs. Three GOOD songs on this album. Next time Raheem, forget Scott Storch and Brian Cox or whoever....and do what you did for the last album. For now, I will just be playing the Love Experience like it just came out. Still love you...just not this CD.
  
  
• A New Fan!!!
  By AKTI4NZEGR2BS on 2008-03-06
  I really enjoyed the song "You" from his first CD, but it was a great review in People magazine that prompted me to pick up his new CD at circuit city. That was 2 weeks ago and it has been in my CD player in my car ever since. I can't manage to take it out. I'm completely hooked. This CD is smooth from beginning to end, how can you not love a man that pours his heart out and sings the sweetest words that any woman would love to hear from her man. If you weren't already in love this CD makes you want to go out there and find love. My favorites are: 1) Mo Better 2)Love Drug 3)Empty.
  
  This is one very talented man and I wish him much success on this CD. I love this CD so much I had to send a copy to my boyfriend overseas. Mr. Devaughn has a new fan here for sure. I hope he makes it to the Phoenix area I would love to catch him live.
  
  
• So not Neo-Soul!!!
  By A3S1PMZM9V68LH on 2008-05-12
  If you are a Neo-Soul lover as myself, this is not an artist you want to invest in. As an R&B artist Raheem's music is on par, but with his "Color Me Bad" lyrics for the laid back thought proving music lover...this ain't it.
  On a positve note Raheem does have great vocal ability. Neo-Soul Bruthas and Sistas...save your money!
  
  

• Lost & Found
• The Love Experience
• New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War
• Growing Pains
• The Makings of a Man