LP Review: Second Chance
Released: 2010
LP Charts: #13 R&B; #57 pop
After a 16-year hiatus filled with drugs and legal problems, El DeBarge returned with (to date) his final album: Second Chance. Looking like a prosperity gospel pastor on the album cover no less. The good news is that El’s voice remained generally untouched by his travails. The bad news is that this album was contemporary 2010 R&B. I don’t like R&B from 2010. Damn autotuning.
Okay, more accurately, R&B circa 2010 had some endearing aspects, but these things would be sullied by autotune and the return to plastic sounding production after the briefly glorious influence of neo-soul in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Anyways, I write this review knowing full well I’m not the intended listener for this kind of album. So I won’t reflect on all or even most of the songs. I’ll just mention a few I had thoughts on as the track played.
If the song ain’t mentioned, my thoughts were vapid cuz the song was vapid or worse…
“Lay With You” (6.5/10) — featuring Faith Evans in a duet, this song demonstrates perfectly the liveliness that was possible, but that was also shackled by the production of the era. Fuck them cheap programmed instruments. Get somebody in on some real drums and fire up rhythm guitar. Sheesh.
“When I See You” (5.5/10) — is the perfect victim of circumstances. In another era this would have been a lush ballad. In 2010? Bare-bones production wasting a crystal clear El vocal delivery.
“Serenading” (6/10) — a song of the moment that actually sounds fine. No missed opportunities or flaws. It just is what it is: decent background music.
“5 Seconds” (5/10) — recycles the keyboard riff from the DeBarge classic “Stay With Me”, which is perfect. A bad decision to remind listeners like me of the heights you once were able to attain.
“Sexy Lady” (7/10) — thank God, an actual good song. Minimalist in a positive way, this song has keyboard and percussion that sets a light touching mood that complements El’s voice perfectly.
“The Other Side” (7/10) — another track that strips away a lot of unnecessary noise. This time it’s keyboards and strings that lay the bed for El’s vocals to lay.
ALBUM GRADE: C-
Basically go for the four songs I rated a 6 or higher in this review. Everything else on this album? MEH.