Musiq Soulchild Juslisen Lyrics

The second album from Philadelphia's Musiq keeps the quality level high, mixing equal parts Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, and D'Angelo to good effect. Musiq's voice has noticeably matured--the puppy edge of Aijuswanaseing is gone--resulting in a rich tone that reflects a stylistic progression in his music. He's also expanded into new areas, including a slight touch of bossa nova on the excellent "Half Crazy." Meanwhile, "Caught Up" and "Religious" have a late-'80s Big Daddy Kane and Public Enemy feel, heralding a tougher hip-hop sound than the spangle-eyed, jelly-kneed love paeans Musiq included on the first album (such as "Girl Next Door" and "143"). Having said that, Aijuswanaseing remains the essential Musiq starting point, as there's little here that matches the genius of "Speechless" or "You Be Alright." But for those who want to hear the sound of an artist growing up, Juslisen is required listening. --Jake Barnes