Musician Kem and his sophomore project “Album II” is this week’s pick for Second Listen Sunday. Arriving in stores on May 17th, 2005, the album came when R&B was still shifting. For the most part, younger singers dominated the market, while older crooners like Anthony Hamilton and Brian McKnight were forced to the Urban A/C demographic.
Thankfully, Kem’s debut single, “Love Calls,” from his first album, garnered him a fan base among the jazz and urban AC crowd. So naturally, Kem stayed in his lane with “I Can’t Stop Loving You”, the lead single from “Album II”. Written and produced with collaborator Carlos Gunn, the lush ballad delves into the singer’s intense and unwavering love for his lady
Kem remembers the day he encountered the “perfect stranger”, who later became central to his thoughts in the first verse. Being “wrapped around your finger” implies total surrender and complete enchantment by their presence. Their relationship grew into a holy gift when the sun shone upon them and God himself smiled upon their union. The remaining lyrics deliver mature R&B infused with subtle jazz elements.
The album’s second single, “Find Your Way (Back in My Life)”, is a spiritual successor to its preceding single. Kem reflects on their experience with a complex romantic relationship that seems to repeat itself. The song lyrics express his exasperation and bewilderment at how their former lover consistently manages to re-enter their life.
Kem opens the song by expressing his wish to leave and highlighting their shared goal of moving forward from the relationship. They work hard to meet new people but always return to their exes. The pattern indicates a repeating cycle of separation followed by reunion.
The album’s final single, “Into You”, explores the dynamics of emotional openness and profound romantic bonds. The lyrics are direct yet poetic—Kem doesn’t rely on heavy metaphor, instead opting for sincerity: You occupy my thoughts constantly, babe, because I’m deeply into you.
This simplicity is part of the charm. Kem communicates his devotion through straightforward language that feels conversational rather than overly complex. The song illustrates mature love transcending physical desire and romantic obsession, including deep appreciation and an emotional connection.
To my surprise, Kem avoided trend chasing as he only has one guest on the album, Stevie Wonder, who plays harmonica on “You Might Win”. The rest of the album is organic music that deftly avoids the sophomore slump.
Final Grade: B
“Album II” is available on all streaming platforms..
This week’s Second Listen Sunday pick takes us back to 2006 to revisit “So Amazin’,” the third album from Christina Milian. Arriving in stores on April 19 of that year, the project was produced largely by Cool & Dre, sans one song, and saw the singer earn writing credits on nine of the album’s songs.
For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I want to showcase love for Rahsaan Patterson and his album track “Can We Wait a Minute” from his self-titled debut album, released in 1997.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I wanted to take a trip back to 2000 and show some love to the R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo and their third album, “X,” which was released in stores on December 5, just in time for a holiday stocking stuffer. Arguably, the group suffered from the sophomore slump with their second album, as only two singles were successful.