While he is one of the stars of Showtime’s hit series The Chi, Luke James has been making noise in the industry for almost two decades. James began his career singing background for Tyrese with his childhood friend Quentin, with whom he would later form a duo under the moniker Luke & Q.
The duo did sign to J Records. However, their debut album never saw an official release. After the group disbanded to pursue separate ventures, James would go on to write tracks for the likes of Chris Brown, Britney Spears, and Justin Bieber. In addition, James has released three solo albums and two mixtapes.
For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to highlight the first time I heard James sing. In 2006 as my loyal readers know, I was living in the United Kingdom and spent many a night DJing. I was part of a record pool to stay up on my music during this time. One month one of the songs was “My Turn” by Luke & Q.
Since the song dropped in 2006, it had had a “Mr. Steal Your Girl” vibe before Trey Songz made it famous. The singer’s voices compliment each other, and they avoid R&B thuggery. The lyrics may seem contrived to some, but the duo makes it work.
“Girl, who that dude you with?
Could’ve swore I saw him push up on your friend
Girl, who that dude you with?
Never seen him buy you nothing, always spending your ends
He don’t ice your wrists
Don’t take no trips
Don’t spend no time
He don’t rock your spine
But I’ll ice your wrists
We’ll take the trips
I’ll spend the time
Girl, I’ll hit ya right
Now it’s my turn, forget about your man”.
While I’m 41 now and married with children, the song still resonates, and hopefully, one day, we will get the chance to hear their aborted album.
Final Grade: B+
“My Turn” is available on all streaming platforms.
For their second single, the group presented a ballad entitled “Feels Like The First Time.” Once again, Greene handles the lyrics, while Neville Hodge is responsible for production duties. Greene begins the song with robust energy, proclaiming his love for the lady. Greene’s group members provide stellar work on the background vocals, and the songs eschew nineties R&B without going into crass vulgarity.
The ballad was composed by Michael Masser and lyricist Gerry Goffin, and it was first recorded by Dionne Warwick in 1981. Eight years later, Natalie Cole covered the song, shortening the title. It became the fourth single from her twelfth album, “Good to Be Back.”
Braxton’s vocal talent is perfect on the standards “Christmas Time Is Here,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and “The Christmas Song.” However, like any good R&B Christmas album, it is the soulful yuletide bops where Braxton truly shines. The album’s first single, “Snowflakes of Love,” is instrumental of Earl Klugh’s “Now We’re One”. Braxton’s lush vocals encapsulate the warmth and joy of romantic love amidst a wintery backdrop.