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
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I took a trip back to 2007 and revisited “Don’t Talk Just Listen” from the group B5. Hailing from the Peach State, B5 comprised the Breeding Brothers, Bryan, Carnell, Dustin, Kelly, and Patrick. Initially finding success two years earlier with their cover of The Jackson 5’s “All I Do,” their debut did just enough with their preteen fans to warrant a second album.
With the exception of a few cases, R&B groups experienced a period of stagnation in 2007. While some groups continued to tour and perform their renowned classics, releasing new music was infrequent. To commemorate this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I would like to acknowledge a notable piece from Jagged Edge’s sixth album, “Baby Makin Project,” titled “Whole Town’s Laughing At Me.”
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, we are taking a trip to the Great Lake State and showing some love to R&B Band Ready for The World and their self-titled debut album. Arriving in stores on May 14, 1985, via MCA Records, the album on which the band produced their first single was “Tonight.”
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