Review:
Ryan Leslie is back with his third album Les Is More (his first to be released independently),
following up his first two solid 2009 releases (Ryan
Leslie and Transition).
After a number of delays, the album is finally out with many of the songs
having video accompaniment (which can be seen at RyanLeslie.com).
Les Is More is much more a rap
album for Leslie than his typical R&B/pop singing on his first two. It
still has Leslie crooning on a number of tracks, but each song features rap
verses as well. And, he is not a bad MC – in fact, he is good. There are no
guest on the album either, letting him shine (with frequent collaborator Fabolous
showing up on a bonus track Beautiful
Life Remix). Lyrically, the album mostly deals with Leslie’s lavish life
and beautiful women, and thus feels a bit generic in today’s hip hop landscape
of boasting.
Musically, however, Leslie’s work
continues to stand out, and is really the reason to seek out and listen to his work.
He not only produces every song on the album, but he plays every instrument
too. It also has a lot of musical range, with songs that feel fun to songs that
feel intimate. His beats are generally great, and Les Is More is no different.
While I probably still like his
self-titled album the best, Les Is More is another good release from Leslie,
and I look forward to his future work. 3/5
Essential Tracks:
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