OnMyRadio (CD - 2008)

ONMYRADIO, Musiq's fifth full length and his second for Atlantic records, sees the Philly-based artist returning to the warm analog textures and comforting retro aesthetic of 2007's acclaimed LUVANMUSIQ. Like that effort, ONMY RADIO is more or less neatly divided between slow-burning ballads (indebted to masters of Philly smooth soul like Teddy Pendergrass and the Delfonics), and more forward-looking, dance-oriented cuts that reflect Musiq's ties to the hip-hop scene, reminding listeners of his fruitful collaborations with artists like Talib Kweli and Lloyd Banks. Though the trunk-rattling rhythm of lead single "Radio" and the auto-tuned vocals of "BackAgain" situate ONMYRADIO firmly in modern era, Musiq's performances here possess the stylish assurance that distinguished `70s soul producers like Gamble & Huff and Van McCoy.

Four fine albums deep into a career with no Top Ten pop singles to his name, Musiq Soulchild went for broke with the single released prior to his fifth album. At least it kinda seemed that way: "Radio" sounded suspiciously like a cash-in on Atlanta snap, à la Dem Franchize Boyz's "Lean wit It, Rock wit It," or even Monica's "Everytime the Beat Drop," but it was a couple years late. It was almost shockingly out of character, if not clumsy and baffling. It appears as the last song on OnMyRadio, an album that, for the most part, sounds otherwise just like a Musiq Soulchild release. Highlights like "Until" and "So Beautiful" show that Musiq continues to thrive most when working with mellow midtempo and ballad material. The latter, a collaboration with Lee "J.R." Hutson (who played a significant role in the excellence of Jill Scott's The Real Thing), is one of the most unassumingly gorgeous cuts he has recorded, and the relatively upbeat and busy "Special" and "Money Right" deserve to be minor hits (at the least). A couple dramatic moments don't quite take full flight, and a handful of tracks are tepid and unmemorable, but OnMyRadio is mostly another set of sturdily constructed laid-back R&B. "Radio" hopefully didn't scare off anyone. ~ Andy Kellman minimize