Words by Charles "Cza" Sweet II Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0
Javier reminds you of a mix between Babyface and Donell Jones in the way he moves through octaves like water through fingers. His style is refreshing because, as redundant as it may sound, the guy can SING. Really, really well, in fact. There is no pitch-fixers on the man's voice here, what you hear is what you get. With so many R&B/hip-hop singers out now, seemingly all clumped together in the middle, it's good to hear someone take another approach, coming Left Of Center.
"Crazy" instantly takes you back to the good old days of a Tony Toni Tone! vibe with the soulful guitar riffs and the uber-catchy chorus transitions. "Beautiful U R" is THE song for those late nights at home with your special one, due to the silky string arrangements that almost serenade you to sleep. The vibe on this one is incredible, to the point you might play this one right before some Prince to set the mood.
"Wassup" is a track especially for the steppers; the ones who go out to the clubs in the 3 piece suits. The drum pattern is neo-soul over a space-age sounding arpeggiator that twirls about the song with you. Don't be fooled into thinking that Javier can't come with the ballads, as "The Answer is Yes" is the perfect example of what an artist can sound like when their voice is the instrument most prevalent on a song. This is the song people'll be getting married to. Yeah, it's that powerful.
The only negative thing about the album is that while it has great production, it can get boring due to the lack of really up-tempo songs. Left Of Center has the makings of one that would propel Javier to the forefront of R&B, but next time, he should employ a producer that can make the body move as much as the soul does.
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