Album Review: Ryan Leslie

Ryan Leslie - Ryan Leslie

In the past few years, Ryan Leslie has made his mark on the music game producing and writing songs for everyone from Britney Spears to Cassie, and New Edition to Jim Jones. A Harvard graduate at age 19 with degrees in Government and Economics, Leslie - singer/songwriter/producer/musician/ - is one of the most talented cats in the game. Since 2006, Leslie's developed a huge buzz on the web via his YouTube channel, and in 2007, Leslie began recording songs for his official debut album (his first debut album, Just Right, was shelved in 2003). After two years of mild airplay with singles "Diamond Girl" and "Addiction", Leslie's self-titled debut album finally hit stores this past Tuesday, February 10. 

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Ryan Leslie is one of the best, most balanced, R&B albums in recent years. While many R&B artists have struggled, being "too hip-hop", or "too soft", Leslie finds a happy medium between the two. The singles,  "Diamond Girl", "Addiction", and "How It Was Supposed To Be" are definitely the standout tracks. They're synth-heavy cuts with a nice club bounce to satisfy those looking for a more upbeat hip-hop feel. On the other hand, for those that prefer a more traditional R&B ballad, tracks such as, "You're Fly, "Valentine", and "I-R-I-N-A" are up that alley. He's even got songs for the Pop-Crossover crowd, particularly, "Quicksand", which has a beat that could've made it on a Maroon 5 album.

Why his songs aren't all over the radio, I have no idea, especially since he's got the type of songs that rappers love to hop on, as Fabolous ("Addiction") and Jadakiss ("How It Was Supposed To Be (remix)" - not on the album), have already shown. Even Leslie occasionally starts spitting over a couple of his tracks. 

Although Leslie's not the best vocalist, his melodies, production, and ability to hit the falsetto notes are through the roof. All that makes for a great debut for Ryan Leslie, and one of the best R&B albums in a minute. As long as he keeps making music, and doesn't go back to his behind scenes work of songwriting and production, Leslie will be a mainstay on the R&B scene.

Video: "How It Was Supposed To Be"...