The Beauty of Contemporary R&B
Generally, revealing specific information or details about myself is not a natural feeling nor my strong suit by any means. I would not consider my passing of this invisible obstacle a form of strength, but more of a relaxed state of mind. The fact that I am posting a music video of a song I enjoy kind of speaks for itself in that "I am overcoming my fear of sharing" so to speak. As R&B evolved since its roaring Jazz based introduction in the early 20th century I have followed and owned its modification even in today's contemporary version. What I have attached is a music video of an artist named Musiq Soulchild who signs the featured song "Just Friends" with a smooth flowing beat which incorporates some old school melodies as well. The message put out there can be interpreted in anyway an individual see's fit, but its the songs free flowing atmosphere that has me gravitate to this song which is not violent, overly sexy, offensive/vulgar, or stereotypical by any means. This song is a reflection of the neutral commercial friendly evolution of contemporary R&B and how this style's objective is still based on bringing people together.
In the end, as time goes on my taste in almost everything may change, but I am certain that my love for all types of R&B will be forever strong. Maybe its because I am a form of a hopeless romantic or simply enjoy the general lyrical conclusion of most R&B songs created, but at the end of the day it is my form of musically expressed identity. The mixture of electronic instruments (piano and guitar) and the natural beat-box-rhythm is a creative combination that sets the artist in the video apart from the rest of my choices simply because it is a great example of the genre's evolution from saxophones and etc. With that being said, it is always difficult to decipher a genre based off one single song, but I chose a song that best displays a contemporary R&B artists versatility by reaching out to other genre's and further evolving music in general.
A brief description and recommendation:
Here is the highly anticipated song "Just Friends" performed by Musiq Soulchild. The lyrics tell a story which can be frowned upon, but is still relatively PG-13 in the grand scheme of things. If you do not like the lyrics, then please focus more on the melody and overall flow of the song. That is what I get caught up most in anyway. Most of the time lyrics can become secondary to the music itself and this song is a great example of that too. But, nevertheless with all aspects united the song is a barer of good moods. I hope you enjoy!
Thank you for this interesting and thoughtful post. I don't know much about R&B, so I was interested in your description. I played the song in class and couldn't really hear the words, but I enjoyed the "smooth flowing beat" very much. When I listened to it again I was reminded of the adrenaline-rush-nervousness between young couples when they first meet and I like how the relaxed beat of the music contrasts with the jittery 'first date' feeling. Great song and analysis here!
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