J-Stylz, formerly of the legendary group Blackstreet, gave fans a wonderful holiday slow jam last year with “Christmas Without You.” The song starts with J-Stylz professing his intentions for his lady love but simply stating that all he wants for Christmas is you! Hearing the song, we can tell that J-Stylz is writing about a man who has learned from past mistakes and needs his woman back.
The message continues to the second verse, where Stylz has a line about “Shopping for gifts just isn’t the same without you.” I am sure many fellas can relate to that line as, for whatever reason, gift-giving reason seems to approve when you are in a relationship. The first Christmas I spent with my wife, I always remember my late grandfather saying, “Ever since you started dating her, your gift-giving skills have improved.”
Stylz avoids over singing and using autotune instead of letting his smooth voice speak for itself. I sincerely hope the right people hear this song as “Christmas Without You” is another song that would feature significantly in a Christmas rom-com as part of a montage scene. Furthermore, J-Stylz is a heck of a writer, and I would not mind a full-on Christmas album or EP in the near future.
Final Grade: A
“Christmas without You” is available on all streaming platforms
Be sure to follow J-Stylz on the gram @jstylzmusic and on his website
For more with J-Stylz, check out my in-depth 2020 conversation with him
This past Friday marked the 40th anniversary of “The Voice,” a.k.a. Whiney Houston’s self-titled debut album hitting stores. So, in that regard, it was only right to give Nippy her flowers for this week’s Second Listen Sunday.
For this weekend’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to take a trip to Motor City and show some love to soul singer Dwele. It was 2005, and I was living in the UK as part of my Air Force enlistment. Dwele had just released his second album, “Some Kinda,” enjoying some chart success with the lead single “I Think I Love U,” by Mike City.
The remainder of the album maintains a classic R&B vibe, showcasing the group’s signature sound. One of the standout tracks is “Maybe Tomorrow,” featuring the iconic Phyllis Hyman. It transforms difficult circumstances into positive outcomes—essentially making lemonade from lemons.