In the year 2023, if you were to count the number of singing competitions that emerged after the success of American Idol in 2002, you might run out of fingers. One constant from all of the shows is that they rarely produce a male R&B singer who becomes a force in the genre. Granted, Ruben Studdard, who won the second season of American Idol, Lucky Daye, who was on the same show’s fourth season, and Vedo, who was on The Voice, have all seen a varying level of success. Still, we have yet to have a male R&B singer match the success of Kelly Clarkson or Jennifer Hudson.
So for this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I wanted to give some flowers to Marcus Canty and his EP This ….Is Marcus Canty. The vocalist became prominent after appearing in the inaugural season of the US version of X-Factor in 2011. The Bowie, MD native won the judges over with his cover of Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish. The legendary LA Reid took a particular interest in Canty, often comparing him to a young Bobby Brown. While Canty would ultimately place fourth in the competition, Reid still gave him a record deal.
Wasting no time putting him in the studio, Reid introduced Canty to the mainstream with the slow jam “Won’t Make A Fool Of You” from the Think Like A Man soundtrack. Tricky Stewart and Johnta Austin penned the track perfectly aligned with Canty’s register. A few months later, Canty’s second official single, “In & Out,” featured a few bars from hip-hopper Wale. The song was a good follow-up to a ballad as it showed Canty’s edge, and he easily sold the material.
The final single from the EP was another ballad titled “Used By You.” I imagine it would have been much bigger if Chris Brown or Drake had this song. The song is about a man who offers himself as a solution to a woman’s relationship problems. The woman in the song is having issues with her partner, who is not treating her well and is unfaithful. The man sympathizes with her and offers to help her get revenge on her partner.
He suggests that she should not get mad; instead, she should get even. The man proposes to be a “little friend on the side” and to be called upon whenever her partner misbehaves. The song’s lyrics suggest that the man wants to have a sexual relationship with the woman while being used by her as a tool to get back at her partner. He tells the woman to be open to him and to let him work his magic. The lyrics in the chorus emphasize the man’s desire to be used by the woman. Overall, this song encourages infidelity and using sex as a tool for revenge in relationships. It does not promote healthy behaviors, mutual respect, or partner communication. But Canty makes it work.
Canty feels the rest of the EP with midlevel R&B tropes. Seeking the attention of a woman (“Don’t Pass Me By” and “Not Looking”), an honorable man (“Tonight”), borderline pop (“Three Words”), and keeping the newness in a relationship (“Stay In Love”). Canty has an above-average voice, and I wish he had seen more mainstream success.
While I am by no means a record exec, I do think had LA Reid started Canty on hooks for Hip Hop tracks or perhaps directed him to urban-themed plays /Broadway, it would have built up more momentum.
Nevertheless, this is a decent EP and worth a listen.
Final Grade: B
This….Is Marcus Canty is available on all streaming platforms
Songstress Ashanti was experiencing significant success with two platinum albums at the time of the release of her inaugural holiday project, “Ashanti’s Christmas,” on November 18, 2003. Her label head, Irv Gotti, produced most of the album. This project comprises four original songs co-written by Ashanti, in addition to six cover versions of traditional Christmas standards and carols.
Vocal quartet A Few Good Man contributed two songs to the project: a cover of “Silver Bells” and the ballad “Merry Christmas My Dear,” both of which were produced by Daryl Simmons. Demail Burks, David Morris, Aaron Hilliard, and Tony Amey were the members of the group, and after introducing themselves in the festive video for “Silver Bells,” it was only fitting that they delivered a ballad on the album.
R&B legend Luther Vandross had already solidified his place in R&B when he released his first holiday album, “This Is Christmas. Arriving in stores on October 24, 1995, “This Is Christmas” validates Vandross’s ability to sing anything.