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Carl Thomas gained plenty of experience -- musical and otherwise -- over the course of his lifetime. A native of Chicago's projects, Carl credits three forces for steering him towards music: church, school, and avoiding gang activity. From a young age, he knew he'd make his mark in music. In addition to the R and B and hip-hop he grew up with, he also broadened his tastes to include such artists as Sting, Roberta Flack, and James Taylor. "It's all about choices, he says.
Moreover, the use of samples here always is subtle and tasteful. For example, the signature acoustic guitar riff from Sting's "Shape of My Heart" helps the melody of the Mario Winans produced title tracks tug at the heartstrings, yet it doesn't distract from the song. Elsewhere, a sampled synthesized string figure from B. I. G. 's "My Downfall" gives "Woke Up in the Morning, one of the tracks on which Puffy does lend some production help, some of its emotional power, but a minimalist rhythm track and Thomas' vocals give it the rest. The lyrics, which he had a large share in writing, are not exactly genius, however I felt they are good for a debut artist.
He deals with the typical romance issues of trying to get love, hold onto love and recapture love, but also dives into more complex love themes. His vocals are great with lots of adlib's and vibrato that give feeling and heart to the songs. The first single of the album, "I Wish" is an example of this with it's driving beat, catchy piano riff and lyrics addressing a complex situation. Even the token, all out sexual song, that shows up on (or dominates in some cases) most R&B albums these days, "Lady Lay Your Body", is done in a classy manner. Carl Thomas's world class vocals make those songs listenable but even his voice cant save " Summer Rain" an remake of Stevie Wonders classic " Summer Soft" from his songs in the key of life epic. They turned one of stevie's most musically stylish songs about heartbreak; stripped down the brilliantly done string section; added those same monotonous jeep beats, which by this time seem to be a virus throughout the album; and turned it to not just a mediocre dance song but a cornerstone of artistic bankruptcy. "Cold Cold World" opens with a reggae chord change and rhythm before settling into a mid-tempo ballad that finds Thomas begging his woman to come home.
He really lets it rip here, getting into some serious Al Green-style moaning and wailing. Emotional isn't all heartbreak, though. "Lady Lay Your Body" and "Superstar" are lush bedroom ballads, and "You Ain't Right" finds Thomas getting his anger up over pulsing cymbals and electronic rhythm figures. But those are three of the album's weaker tracks, the former two suffering from more atmospheres than structure, the latter from a lack of harmonic progression. As a debut album, I would think that this is the best he has to offer and wouldn't bother to hear a second. The tunes are just not up there with the big dogs, like Joe or Monthly Jordan - they seem to be smooth, jazz, but the way he sings is just too powerful for the nature of the melodies.
The piano / keyboard , bass, drums and synthesizer do an ok job of synthesizing their different parts into one - sometimes the drums present too abrupt an impact on the music. Despite his good voice, Carl's voice sometimes sounds so strained that it's painful - especially so when he sings high notes. I went out and bought "Emotional" because I generally like the artists that Bad Boy releases. I love the album so much because it's not like the rest of the latest R & B music. He doesn't just talk about sex throughout the whole album, he doesn't whine, and he can ACTUALLY sing. There are so many artists who are making big bucks and don't even display an inkling of talent, people just like the message or it's catchy.
When listening to an album you should feel that you " ve learned something about the artist. And when I listen to Emotional I feel just that, it seems as if Thomas puts his all into this album. He's making love to the listeners eardrums. I felt as if Carl Thomas was giving me a piece of his heart as he sang on his album. It doesn't sound like he's just trying to make some loot; it sounds as if Thomas is trying to relay a message... Laying everything down on the line, so to speak.
It's going to be hard for Carl Thomas to top this album, but I know he will. I can't wait for the next 'joint'! Bibliography:
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