Review: Raheem DeVaughn – Love Sex Passion

R&B artist Raheem DeVaughn, the Love King, is back with his latest project, Love Sex Passion, which is a long string of personal ballads. Some are bona fide hits, others not quite. For Raheem, it represents growth as a songwriter, having penned every song on the album. He talks about the good and the bad of the love process, exploring the “please baby, come back, I miss you” realness of relationship building. Working on this album, he admits, put him in a “grown and vulnerable” state, but five albums into his career, he’s learned that it’s about consistency artistically, making consistent bodies of work that fans can appreciate. And as a songwriter he wanted to let men know that it’s cool to be emotional and express genuine feelings for that woman of interest. It’s cool to say “I love you” or “I get it wrong sometimes”. He also represents the standard of respecting women and spreads his message of sensual connection throughout the album.

“Pretty Lady” features New Orleans jazz musician Trombone Shorty as an album highlight and musically it feels like Musiq Soulchild’s “Just Friends” on the verse but steps out into its own funkiness during the chorus. The hit follows the album opener “Black Ice Cream”, a seven-minute groove about good sex, where the last three minutes unfold into a sensually deep rock vamp, guaranteed to draw listeners in. “Queen”, the album’s first single, is sure to be a hit with the ladies, though composition-wise, it isn’t much different from the next song, “Nothing Without You”. And therein lies a recognizable weakness of this album. While it seems that DeVaughn has released a record that he’s poured his heart and soul into, many of the songs leave you feeling the same vibe in a way that makes you wonder if there should have been less than seventeen tracks. “When You Love Somebody” feels like “Baby Come Back” and many of the other songs simply blend into one long ballad.

Both, “Countdown to Love” and “Feather Rock Lovin’” featuring Boney James & The Illadelph Horns, have a Marvin Gaye feel (the former reminds of “I Want You” and the latter reminds of “When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You”), yet they are distinct enough to stand on their own as strong songs to look forward to. “Temperature’s Rising” is another standout, creating a whole song out of the phrase, “Temperature’s rising, and your body’s yearning for me” from R. Kelly’s 1993 hit “It Seems Like You’re Ready”. Raheem DeVaughn has said that this album has an organic, retro, futuristic, 90s feel, and that’s certainly true. Fusing many of those elements into Love Sex Passion it will be really easy to get into that uninterrupted after-nightfall love vibe that he’s going for.

Written by Mai Perkins

Originally from Los Angeles, Mai Perkins is living a genuine bona fide love affair with NYC and the music that keeps its spirit moving. While spending the majority of the last decade in Brooklyn, many of her adventures around the globe are documented on her blog: Mai On The Move! www.MaiOnTheMove.com

Author’s rating for Love Sex Passion

Pop Magazine’s official rating for Love Sex Passion

Rating key
MASTERPIECE a must-have
SUPERB for heavy rotation
EXCELLENT a great achievement
VERY GOOD a respectable result
GOOD worth checking out
FAIR an average outcome
WEAK not convincing stuff
BAD an underwhelming effort
VERY BAD quite a waste
FAIL a total failure