Despite releasing a strong southern soul-influenced debut in the form of 1999’s Country Boy, North Carolina bred singer wouldn’t break through until his sophomore album 2:35 PM four years later, which featured the hit single “More Than A Woman.” While that is a great song, I wanted to highlight my favorite track from the album, “Not Like This.”
Richardson linked up with Damon Thomas and Harvey Mason of The Underdogs to create a beautiful ballad. Richardson effortlessly explains that he understands his lady has been in relationships before. Still, the other men do not come close to him. As the singer croons the below lyrics, you feel every word.
“Girl, I know a thing or two about the way things go
With someone as fine as you
You be constantly dealin with the drive-bys
And the way guys be spittin at you
So it’s hard for me to think
That you ain’t had love
Ain’t been you he thought the world of
And I just can’t see
How even a playa wouldn’t be
Ready to settle down
You never been cared for (no not like this)
Girl, don’t look no further
You never made love before (no not like this)
It’s just for you
You say you had everything
And nothing was missing
What you thought was right is wrong
So baby just let me in
Girl, I know you had it, but not like this.”
While Richardson never really slowed down musically (he has released six other albums and scored three Grammy nods), mainstream success has alluded him. Nevertheless though, “Not Like This” still holds up nineteen years later.
Final Grade: A
“Not Like This” from 2:35 PM is available on all streaming platforms
From his early days in the family group Wings of Faith, Mr. Gill was born to make music. However, as R&B fans know, Johnny Gill’s initial release with Atlantic Records failed to make a significant impact when it first came out. The 1983 self-titled debut showed a strong voice struggling to adapt to a studio that couldn’t properly utilize its power.
My introduction to Myron was with the song “Sistas” on the “Eddie” soundtrack in the summer of 1996. Before setting up his solo album, Myron would write classics for Mya and Dru Hill. “Destiny” was written by Myron and Tyrice Jones, and the latter was also producing. Set to a sample of Herbie Hancock’s “Come Running to Me”, the song explores how fate governs the formation of connections between people meant to exist from the beginning.
Music producers transitioning to a solo album is common in the music industry. For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit Sean Garrett’s solo debut, “Turbo 919,” released in 2008.