Inspiration is hard to come by for some people but Lyfe Jennings just seems to exude it. His remarkable story served as the perfect backdrop for his soulful debut, Lyfe 268-192, and one solo album later, The Phoenix, fans are evidently high on Lyfe. It’s no secret as to why either. Lyfe’s approach to music with a message is well received by many and, as a fan, it’s comforting to know that some artists are not afraid to put themselves out there. Interpersonal content that reflects back to the artist seems to have more of a realness to it so pardon my Jay-Z reference but, “the real is back”. 
It’s funny, pressure can be a gift and a curse but Lyfe Jennings seems unfazed when it comes to matters of fame. Case and point, his debut album was critically acclaimed for it’s texture/content so you would think that the pressure to follow that up would be a little overwhelming. Seemingly so, The Phoenix was not quite up to par with Lyfe’s first opus but it was still “soul food” nonetheless. Now, hungry for more, Lyfe Jennings is back with his third album, Lyfe Change, and while it deviates slightly from the Lyfe Jennings we’re used to, it’s still the same unique blend of ghetto gospel we’ve come to know and love.
Let’s face it. Quality music is hard to come by these days but for artists like Lyfe, it just seems to come naturally. His lead single “Never Never Land” is a soulful perspective on the whole “30 is the new 20” craze and that kind of endearing message is hard to come by. Songs like “Cops Up”, “Wild, Wild, Wild”, and “You Think You Got It Bad” stand out, again, because of the message behind each one and I’ve come to realize that this is what I love about Lyfe the most. We all go through rough patches in our life and we all go through periods of uncertainty. However, when things come together we seem to forget where we came from and all Lyfe is saying is embrace the good with the bad.
Overall, Lyfe Change is a great CD but, me personally, I was spoiled off of Lyfe 268-192. No other album of Lyfe’s will ever measure up, in my opinion, but one thing I will say is that Lyfe Change is a step above The Phoenix. As much as I tried, I couldn’t get into that particular album so it’s good to see Lyfe rebound and deliver more of that “chicken and collard green” music a la Anthony Hamilton. Like his mama said, “There’s only two things in life that are constant and that’s change and change”. What do you know? She was right.
It’s funny, pressure can be a gift and a curse but Lyfe Jennings seems unfazed when it comes to matters of fame. Case and point, his debut album was critically acclaimed for it’s texture/content so you would think that the pressure to follow that up would be a little overwhelming. Seemingly so, The Phoenix was not quite up to par with Lyfe’s first opus but it was still “soul food” nonetheless. Now, hungry for more, Lyfe Jennings is back with his third album, Lyfe Change, and while it deviates slightly from the Lyfe Jennings we’re used to, it’s still the same unique blend of ghetto gospel we’ve come to know and love.
Let’s face it. Quality music is hard to come by these days but for artists like Lyfe, it just seems to come naturally. His lead single “Never Never Land” is a soulful perspective on the whole “30 is the new 20” craze and that kind of endearing message is hard to come by. Songs like “Cops Up”, “Wild, Wild, Wild”, and “You Think You Got It Bad” stand out, again, because of the message behind each one and I’ve come to realize that this is what I love about Lyfe the most. We all go through rough patches in our life and we all go through periods of uncertainty. However, when things come together we seem to forget where we came from and all Lyfe is saying is embrace the good with the bad.
Overall, Lyfe Change is a great CD but, me personally, I was spoiled off of Lyfe 268-192. No other album of Lyfe’s will ever measure up, in my opinion, but one thing I will say is that Lyfe Change is a step above The Phoenix. As much as I tried, I couldn’t get into that particular album so it’s good to see Lyfe rebound and deliver more of that “chicken and collard green” music a la Anthony Hamilton. Like his mama said, “There’s only two things in life that are constant and that’s change and change”. What do you know? She was right.
Rating: 6.0 headphones out of 10
1 comments:
Why does it have to be 6 out of 10. You have bad taste, I think its more like 8 out of 10 on a bad day!
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