Since releasing his solo debut twenty two years ago, the king of independent soul music, Eric Roberson, has built a dedicated fan base and continued to release quality music, all while staying true to himself.
Amid the pandemic, though, Roberson saw an unparalleled success as his newest single, “Lessons,” took on a life of its own with nine simple words “God has a funny way of showing you lessons.” Roberson created a great cross-promotional platform by utilizing social media to display classic moments of black love from cinema and television with his “Lessons” as the soundtrack.
Roberson followed up “Lessons” with an acoustic remix featuring vocalists Anthony Hamilton, Kevin Ross, and Raheem DeVaughn that is becoming just as popular. Now we finally have the album that continues Roberson’s trend of delivering grown & sexy R&B that has a message in the music.
Roberson opens the project with “Start All Over Again.” Roberson’s strength as a songwriter is that he can always invoke sensuality without becoming corny or vulgar. “High on You” is up next, and it’s another winner. Anyone who has ever experienced a love jones, a.k.a. An Attraction for someone; you are feigning for them physically and mentally.
Following 2014’s lovely collaboration on “Do the Same for Me” from The Box album, Eric reunites with Pop Roberson for a strong album track with the next song, “Good Loving.” While Hip Hop vibes carry “Don’t Run From It Baby.” One of the most surprising guests on the album is Unsung 90’s R&B trio Intro, who joins Erro on “All I Want,” which effectively recalls nineties R&B.
Roberson keeps the album short at eleven songs while effectively teaching the listener about all the facets of love.
Final Grade: A
Lessons is available on all streaming platforms
As fans prepare for his upcoming co-headlining tour, Ne-Yo isn’t just revisiting his past; he’s expanding his horizons. “Up Out & Gone” continues his recent shift towards country-influenced sounds, but it’s important to note that this isn’t a genre switch—it’s a blend.
If you had told me ten years ago that I would fall behind on music, I would have laughed it off. But as they say, we are all adulting now. Thankfully, friends like Edward Bowser from SoulInStereo.com and Brandon Sullivan from Shatter The Standards keep my musical interests alive.
Kicking off my first interview is DMV based rapper K-Quick