Release Notes

Juslisen: Release Notes: Muze 
Personnel includes: Musiq Soulchild, Ayana Hipps, Carol Riddick (vocals); Aaries (spoken vocals); Ivan Barias (arranger, various instruments); Larry Gold (arranger); A. Jermaine Mobley, Junius Bervine, James Poyser, Andre Harris, Vidal Davis (various instruments); Randy Bowland, Frank Romano (guitar); Matt Cappy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jeff Bradshaw (trombone); Jamar Jones (Wurlitzer piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet, organ); Parris Bowens (Wurlitzer piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); Pete Kuzma (keyboards); Thaddeus Tribett, Jethaniel Nixon (bass); Eric Tribett (drums); Pablo Baptiste (percussion); Vikter Duplaix, Avon Marshall, Keith Pelzer (programming); Eric Roberson, Troy Corbin (background vocals).Producers include: Scratch, Ivan Barias, Carvin Haggins, Darren Henson, 88-Keys.Engineers include: Carlos "Storm" Martinez, Jim Bottari, Carvin Haggins.Recorded at Larry Gold, A Touch Of Jazz, Axis Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; The Blue Room Studio, New Jersey.JUSLISEN was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album."Halfcrazy" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.Striking another blow for the fertile Philadelphia neo-soul movement is Musiq, whose sophomore bow JUSLISEN (JUST LISTEN) packs 70-plus minutes of songs overflowing with thick beats, juicy jams, and the Soulchild's sweet singing. Avoiding the trite practice of loading up on celebrity cameos, Musiq instead handles much of the heavy lifting himself with songwriting partner Carvin Haggins. Continuity is at the heart of JUSLISEN, as many of the songs are sequels to numbers appearing on his debut AIJUSWANASEING.Slow jam "Time" takes an abstract approach towards romance, not unlike the previoius album's "Love." The Stevie Wonder-flavored "Newness" follows up on the pursuit of "Girl Next Door," and the hip-hop-laced "Caughtup" follows through on "Seventeen." Even Musiq's breakthrough smash "Just Friends (Sunny)" finds its thread wending through the midtempo thump of "Stoplayin." Best of all is "Religious," which starts out with the ambiance of a church revival service before diving straight into funk mode via a sample of the groove-packed Meters nugget "Thinking." Equally worthy is a sweetly delivered cover of the late George Harrison's ballad "Something" that's given a twist with some subtle vamping.

Credits

Performer Musiq , Musiq Soulchild

Juslisen: MUZE Review
Muze

Rolling Stone (12/26/02, p.107) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2002"Rolling Stone (5/23/02, pp.78-81) - 4 out of 5 stars - "...Deeply sexy, filled with bottom-heavy grooves and dynamic production....heavy funk, Baptist fervor and the vibe where the two meet..."Entertainment Weekly (5/24/02, p.95) - "...By any name, Musiq still makes great music..." - Rating: B+CMJ (5/20/02, p.20) - "...Warm and intimate while undeniably infectious..."NME (Magazine) (7/6/02, p.25) - 6 out of 10 - "...Deep, melodic soul....When all's said and done, he just gets right under your skin."