The Grammy-nominated R&B singer Eric Benet has been around for almost a decade now, and his recently released fourth solo album is the work of a maturing artist. Love & Life is advertised as a comeback to his Wisconsin roots, a tried and tested production team, and the sounds of classic R&B, gospel and jazz that he grew up with. Benet claims that his previous albums all mirrored where he currently was in his life, and this one is no different. “I’m in a good place in my life and it’s all reflected in these songs,” according to Benet.
As the title suggests, Benet is living a life of love, and these are the two themes that inform most of the 12 tracks that make up his new album. Love & Life is a compilation of soulful, feel-good tunes, sung in the voice of someone who has been through a lot and has now finally discovered the joy of living. Too bad that such maturity often comes at the expense of creativity and artistic experimentation. Once you’ve listened to the album a couple of times it pretty much becomes a blur of mellow sounds, none particularly memorable.
Most of the songs, such as “Love Patience & Time”, “Don’t Let Go” or “Sing To Me” are just variations on those much-exploited musical and lyrical R&B motifs that we’ve been recently hearing from Kenny Lattimore, Craig David or even Usher, often with better result. Some others, including “Everlove”, sung with Terry Dexter, or the first single “You’re the Only One”, are very much in the classic soul vein of Luther Vandross or Lionel Richie, which seems a little outdated today. However by virtue of their catchy choruses, the latter together with “Weekend Girl” are potential ear-bugs, only of the annoying kind, unfortunately.
Once you’re almost ready to put the album on a distant dust-covered shelf, you may still consider giving it a second shot. This pays off because, with time, you end up discovering some redeeming qualities in some of Benet’s songs. There are no gems on Love & Life, but on closer inspection you will find a couple of nuanced tunes that might make it into your iPod music library for good. You might, for example, grow to appreciate the subtle Latin flavor of “Spanish Fly” or the groovy, gospel organs so prominent in “Chocolate Legs.” “Iminluvwichoo”, a duet with Hungary’s Linda Kirally, may initially seem like just another sleek R&B tune, but the chorus, sung in a synthesized voice allows it to stand out. Although it may seem like a risky move and will not necessarily be appreciated by everyone, at least it is one instance of Eric Benet going off the beaten path.
If you spot Love & Life on the shelf of a music store, the cute face peering from the cover might very well trick you into buying the CD. I would think twice though. Although it might make for nice musical background for a laid-back evening at home or in a bubble bath, you may just as well tune into a smooth jazz/R&B radio station, without having to pay a cent. On the other hand, if you’re into mellow, feel-good rhythms of all sorts and at all times – don’t hesitate as you’ll get just what you like.