Lyfe Jennings - Lyfe Change

SATIATED

THIS SOPHMORE ATTEMPT IS DEFINITELY A HOMERUN. THIS BROTHER IS POSITIVE AND IT'S DISPLAYED IN HIS MUSIC. I LOVE IT. November 3, 2008

Excellent product and service.

I ordered the Lyfe Jennings CD a couple of weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised at the condition of the CD. It was in pristine condition although it was used and the price was great. I also recieved the CD quickly. I couldn't have gotten a better CD for that price anywhere. I will definitely be buying more CDs from this seller. October 31, 2008

Lyfe Changes

I really enjoyd this CD it is well worth it, Lyfe Jennings did his thing on this one. October 6, 2008

A Lyfe Change...I think not

After having to wait almost two years for another album by Lyfe Jennings, he closed the gap with Lyfe Change which dropped back in April 2008. With critically acclaimed singles, "Must Be Nice", "S.E.X.", and "Let's Stay Together", I expected to receive an album that was just as filling as his first two efforts - Lyfe 268-192 and The Phoenix. When I first popped my CD into my car's player, I was not moved by the first track on the album which features a man with a bad imitation of an Italian accent (not sure if this was Lyfe himself). Several times I skipped the track not knowing that it was a story which illustrates how significant change is. Once you've gotten the picture, there's no need to listen to it anymore.

Next up is "Keep Dreaming" which showcases Lyfe's raspy, yet silky, vocals over subtle percussion smoothly playing in the background. This song has a nice message and sounds like the traditional work from Lyfe. "Warriors" is another autobiographical example of the life that he has endured. No offense, but I think all avid Lyfe fans are well-aware of his background and don't need another song to showcase this. Besides that, the song was okay with the exception of the chorus. I think that the rough sounds of his vocals make it hard to appreciate the rest of the song. "Never Never Land" is the perfect response for those who jumped on Jay-Z's famous (30 is the new 20) catchphrase. The lyrics are on point and the arrangement of the instrumentals make for a fine delivery. "Brand New" celebrates the appreciation of a loved one not changing because Lyfe's financial status has changed. I love the message of this song but could have done without T.I.'s contribution. I may be biased but I don't think needed a rapper to drive home his point. I must admit that "It's Real" is a song that's so deeply infused with genius production that I missed the idea. This is a song about the importance of "wrapping up" due to the plight of AIDS. This should be put in rotation on the radio but I'm sure that would upset some conservative groups.

"Cops Up" is an ode to those women who catches Lyfe's attention by merely getting a glimpse of their beauty. It has a nice grown and sexy feel to it and offers a balance in contrast to the heavier subject matter. "You Think You've Got it Bad" has a reggae feel to it with an appearance by Wyclef Jean. Typically I don't gravitate to a Caribbean sound but this is a beautiful song. I love the song "Wild, Wild, Wild"! It's another representation of how Lyfe is able to give a mainstream sound to a deep subject. He's expressing that there are people "wilding" by selling out to attain a certain position (or refrain from certain situations) in life. He doesn't leave anyone out; he travels from the Hood to Hollywood for the journey of this song. "Midnight Train" is a song that's kind of hard to get into. The musical style is a little to mellow for me but once again his lyrics are a song-saver. I have to be in a particular mood to listen to this track. "Hmmm" is track that lets us know that Lyfe is well aware of his mortality. Nothing exceptional about it; it has a nice sound to it. "Old School" is a description about his car...no comment about that. The interlude "Us" is synonymous to a prayer being sung. "Will I Ever" is an age-old question that many singles have about their love life...simply put it delivered with a sense of urgency and has a great aesthetic component to it. The last song on this CD is "Baby I'm a Star". It's a good way to end the album after several heavy subjects. There's a feel-good notion to this track.

After listening to this album a few times, I noticed that Lyfe did away with his traditional introductions to every track. I can't say that I miss them and hopefully they won't return anytime soon. Due to the less than stellar productions of one too many tracks, I would give his latest effort 3 out of 5. Be forewarned that this particular CD is not a classic by any means.
September 30, 2008

Lyfe Jennings - Lyfe Change

Lyfe Jennings delivers another substantial release with his third album "Lyfe Change" (2008) a fifteen track release which features guest appearances from T.I, Wyclef Jean & Snoop Dogg. Highlight track's for this me include the opening track "Keep On Dreaming", the outstanding single "Never Never Land" & the soulfully sweet "Midnight Train". One thing I enjoy about Lyfe is the unique style he brings with music, that genuine down to earth music, feel he shines on the aforementioned joints. The track's I enjoy make this album worth getting for me, that said I do feel like their are significant missteps for Lyfe, none of his guest appearances benefit the release, and the single "Cops Up" is far to manufactured for my liking - don't like the hook, and while Lyfe flips up his style on track's like "Warriors" and "Hmmm" the end result is not appealing to this reviewer. I would like to see Lyfe return to writing and producing his own albums on solo, "Lyfe 268-192" was an excellent album the type you can listen to from start to finish without hitting skip, feel like the Hip Hop collaborations are not benefiting his work (with exceptions like Nas - Must Be Nice Remix). 3.5. September 18, 2008

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