The mixtape jumps off with the remix to his new single, Buddy with Philly rapper Freeway, and closes out with a remix of the same song featuring Lupe Fiasco. Both are very good. One thing I noticed about the track in general, is that it is one which features a type of flow at various points of the song that come off as a type of singing/rapping. Similar in nature to the way Justin Timberlake does in the new Timbaland track "Give it to me", only the song here has a substance that JT lacks.

In a recent interview in the paper there was a quote by Robin Thicke on comparisons between himself and Justin Timberlake, and he said something that I think is equally attributed to Musiq. He said that Justin was talented and could sing and dance very well, but that his (Thicke's) lyrics were more of substance than Timberlakes. And the very same thing can be said about Musiq.

I've always liked how Musiq's songs have always come across as very real. He told stories involving situations we've all found ourselves in, at one point or another. Whether it was realizing that the girl next door was suddenly a bonafide Dime, or it's talking to a woman and letting her know that you were interested in her enough to meet her parents, and for her to meet yours. Letting her know that just because she has kids, that isn't going to scare you away from wanting to love her, and to cherish her.

Back in the 90's Boyz II Men were the ultimate romantic singers. They would tell the ladies what they wanted to do to them, and they would do so in the smoothest way possible. They didn't go overboard with the sexual theatrics, they never went into the "Jodeci" territory and get overly explicit or descriptive. They told the ladies that they would get "On Bended Knee" and they would "Make Love To You".

However since Boyz II Men has ultimately faded away, they have been replaced by a new breed of R&B that is not interested in subtlety. They're not interested in leaving anything to the imagination. We all know the artists out there that seem to have to push the boundaries even farther and farther, and there's no point in me advertising them even more than they already are, but the thing is that there's no romance anymore in the music.

That's why it's such a refreshing breath of air to have artists like Musiq who takes it back to the days of romance. Remember back when we had honest to goodness REAL R&B music? Artists like Marvin Gaye? Barry White & Luther Vandross? Gerald Levert? Those legends have passed on, and along with them they seemed to have taken the lost art of romance. And while they would tend to get kinda descriptive at times, they were still within a certain realm of taste, so to speak. No Bumping and Grinding, no bending them over the kitchen, and the such.

Now, don't think I'm getting soft here on you people, I ain't soft at all. Just someone who's old enough to remember real soul music. Not the stuff that passes for soul music today.

And this mixtape here is a bright light in a dark time. Not only is this a mixtape of Musiq, but this is a mixtape of NEW Musiq songs. Out of the twenty tracks on here, fifteen of them were unreleased tracks. Too Late has a nice feel to it, thanks in part to the beat which I recognized from Kanye West's Late Registration album ("Late"). Other standout tracks include Impossible, Superwoman, and Hustle. And it has a track that should definitely be a smash hit called "Struggle No More" which is featured on the soundtrack to "Daddy's Little Girl" featuring Musiq, Jaheim & Anthony Hamilton. I mean, is that God's gift to soul music fans or WHAT?

One track "Keep On" seemed like it was basically 2 and a half minutes of adlibs, and wasn't quite sure what that was, but this mixtape, far and away was superb! Many of the songs I listened to on here seemed to be over other artist's beats, which I'm not sure if that will be the version that appears on his upcoming album (LUVNMUSIQ - MARCH 13th! COP IT!). I remember on an Album of Musiq's I had years ago (which I don't know if the copy I received was an advance or not) had a remix at the end that was over Biggie's "One More Chance" beat, so you never know.

Although I will admit it was kinda cool hearing Musiq sing over Common's "Go". And it was also nice to hear at least a snippet of the song he did with Miri Ben Ari & Fabolous "Fly Away", although it painfully reminded me of just how much that album (Ben-Ari's) underachieved, despite the massive star-power it contained, and the great music that was on it.

I was pleasantly surprised that the DJ's didn't ruin the tape like other DJ's have in the past, by running their mouth too much. There was just enough talking to let you know the situation, but not too much to turn you off. Which is a massive achievement in mixtapes today.

Grab it while it's available folks! If you are a fan of good honest to God Soul music by an artist who can REALLY SING, you can't go wrong with Musiq's new limited edition mixtape! (3/6/07)