Happy 15th Anniversary to Musiq Soulchild’s fourth studio album Luvanmusiq, originally released March 13, 2007.
Luvanmusiq was a breath of fresh air for Musiq Soulchild. It had been over three years since his preceding album release Soulstar (2003), which at best was a subpar album and would end up being Musiq’s final album released by Def Soul/Def Jam.
In 2006, Musiq was granted a “rebirth,” which, in hindsight, seemed like a blockbuster trade between Def Jam and Atlantic Records. In this deal, Def Jam would add rapper Fabolous to its roster and Atlantic welcomed in R&B/soul sensation Musiq Soulchild.
The Philadelphia native born Taalib Johnson takes his signature ability of storytelling to greater heights on Luvanmusiq. In the April 2007 issue of Jet magazine, Soulchild said,” I’m always consistent with that, because at the end of the day no matter how its presented, these are things that happen every day that people can relate to.” One of the most noticeable differences with this album is his execution in connecting with his fans across multiple genres. “I just want to be able to entertain different genres in one way or another, but under the same umbrella of soul music,” he added.
The landscape of R&B was changing in the mid-2000s as it transitioned into more of an R&B/hip-hop sound. Musiq was more than aware of the change in R&B and was up to the challenge ahead of his fourth album. “I’ve been away for a little while,” he explained to VIBE in 2007. “The industry’s changed and so have I—personally, mentally, psychologically. I look at my previous three albums as grade school, middle school and high school. Now with this new album, [Luvanmusiq], [it’s] like I’m going off to college.”
Prior to the album’s release, the single “B.U.D.D.Y.” was already creating a profusion of excitement for more music to come from Musiq. It had already reached #2 on the R&B singles chart and has ascended as high as #36 on Billboard’s Top 100 chart. In an attempt to talk a girl into being her “buddy” and keep things platonic, the song samples De La Soul’s “Buddy” and Taana Gardner’s 1981 dance record “Heartbeat.” Not only would “B.U.D.D.Y” end up being nominated for a GRAMMY award, but it ended up being Musiq’s commercial comeback since prior to this release, he hadn’t been in the top 10 in the previous five years.
The second single issued from Luvanmusiq was “teachme,” which was released the day before the album was released in the US. The song’s relatable narrative revolves around asking a significant other for help in showing affection and love for each other. In the chorus, Musiq serenades, “Teach me how to love / Show me the way to surrender my heart, girl, I'm so lost (yeah) / Teach me how to love (yeah) / How I can get my emotions involved (yeah), teach me, / Show me how to love.”
Furthermore, the songwriting on “teachme” is nothing short of prodigious. It’s also one of the few instances where Soulchild didn’t co-write. The song was the product of collaborative efforts by Ivan Barias, Adam Blackstone, George "Spanky" McCurdy, and Corey Latif Williams that perfected the vision for Musiq’s endeavors to enhance his storytelling. Although “teachme” didn’t perform as well as “B.U.D.D.Y.” on the charts, it still snagged the #42 position on Billboard’s Top 100 chart and #2 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart. In a year filled with tons of incredible R&B ballads, when all was said and done, “teachme” would cement itself amongst the top songs that would be released in 2007.
The third single “makeyouhappy” didn’t chart as well as the others, but still peaked at #61 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The upbeat vibe of the track is enough to get you grooving and is honestly a great selection as a single. Along with the groovy R&B/Philly hip-hop instrumental, the catchy chorus assembles the perfect R&B/hip-hop track: “So girl, come with me / We can have a good time / Take a load off ya mind / Girl, dance with me / Baby, you never know / You and I could be something, girl / I can be anything that you want / So what's it gonna be? / Bet I could make you happy.”
Thinking back to listening to the radio back in 2007, some people can remember “lullaby” receiving some airplay as well. In terms of deep cuts, it’s likely the deepest and arguably the most polished song on Luvanmusiq. Throughout the album, there are so many songs that focus on asking for help in a relationship, asking to be just friends, and uncertainty about how to be in a relationship. “Lullaby” is one of the few tracks that possess the confidence and knowledge of what a significant other wants and needs, in lines like “All I wanna do is spend the night with you / Put your mind at ease / Just like a lullaby, just like a lullaby / And, baby, if you just give me your trust / I'll shower you with love / Till you're fast asleep / Just like a lullaby, just like a lullaby.”
Following the album’s release, for the first time since his 2002 album Juslisen, Musiq would see Luvanmusiq hit #1 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. It was an incredible year in 2007 for R&B, featuring a slew of notable albums including Ne-Yo’s Because Of You, T-Pain’s Epiphany, The Dream’s Love-Hate, Chris Brown’s Exclusive, and J. Holiday’s Back of My Lac, among many others.
After a four-year hiatus, Musiq Soulchild was back on the charts, back with another GRAMMY nominated album, and had all kinds of renewed attention and anticipation surrounding the future of his career. While Musiq’s prowess had already been cemented with multiple Platinum and Gold certified albums, Luvanmusiq’s success proven instrumental in galvanizing excitement and raising expectations for his next album OnMyRadio, which arrived a year-and-a-half later in December 2008.
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