18 May V – The Paradox Vol.1

For those of you unfamiliar with Valvin Roane II aka 'V' here is a little background information: he first came to the attention of soul music lovers as the background singer for a certain Ms. Jill Scott, he then went on to release his debut album entitled The Revelation Is Now Televised in 2006. In between working with other musicians such as Ms. Scott, Musiq and Justin Timberlake he found time to create the follow up to his debut, The Paradox Vol.1, released this year.

I'll be honest and say that I havn't fully listened to his debut, however I am reliably informed that it is a true gem. The general consensus is that this follow up does not quite match the greatness of T.R.I.N.T. so i thought i would give it a listen without getting my hands on his debut first.

I am very pleased that I did. In my opinion the album is a must have for all soul/RnB lovers out there. AT 19 tracks, it may be a little long and 1 or 2 tracks could have been left out, however this does not detract from the album as a whole.

The album opens with the track T.R.I.N.T., a spoken word intro track that sets the scene for what is to follow ... which is in short, a very eclectic, but well crafted album. In my opinion tracks 3-9 represent the strongest portion of the album, with highlights including the short, but oh so sweet Close Encounter, the sensual Outta Body, and a serious contender for that first dance song, Down The Isle.