Via ThisIsHipHop

“The bridge between Raphael Saadiq and Hip Hop is not at all that long. He has worked with some of the genre’s elite including Q-Tip, The Roots, and Snoop Dogg. He’s certainly no slouch behind the boards and his production credits show it. He produced two great tracks for his Neo-Soul brother, D’angelo, gave Bilal the soulful vibe for “Soul Sista,” and hooked Mos Def up with the haunting backdrop for “The Boogey Man Song.” Beyond these credits, he produces most of his own work when he isn’t in super-groups like Lucy Pearl (with Ali Shaheed and Dawn Robinson) or the abundantly successful Tony! Toni! Tone! On his latest album, The Way I See It, Saadiq creates an unbelievable sound that is reminiscent of the late 60’s to mid 70’s Motown era, but, it has its own updated touches to it that formulate one of the best releases of the year.

For an artist displaying so much soul, so much sensitivity, and so much passion in his work, Saadiq sounds very hungry. He has taken the R&B genre by the horns and held on for the shaky ride until it came to a calm stop. It was at this time that Saadiq took the chance to control the raging bull right threw the red curtain being waved around. This could explain the throwback nature of tracks, perhaps it is Saadiq moving so far away from the cliché and typical moments that R&B has displayed as of late and bringing it back to the ‘good ol’ days.”

Overall Score: 95/100

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