I suppose that since I’m female, I should drool and swoon over
Brian McKnight’s handsome features and sexy voice. Sorry, not
feelin’ it. Granted, he is pretty, but that shouldn’t be the
criteria used for purchasing music. It doesn’t motivate me, anyway.
I don’t mean to downplay the obvious talents of this gentleman, but
he just does not do it for me personally.
McKnight composes, produces and sings. He is known for his
ballads, and he says that he does strive to stretch himself. I have
my doubts about that. He appreciates that he has a signature sound
but encourages listeners to broaden out their musical choices. The
title track, “Hero” has a tough and strong beat. I actually like
the music on this one. It has some flashy guitar riffs by Brian,
Derrick Cummings and James Mazles. “Still” distinguishes itself
with beautiful orchestrations and the vocals are silky smooth. The
lyrics are sentimental; it’s a perfect love song. This piece almost
changed my opinion of the man… almost.
Brian McKnight has a gospel upbringing and was a member of the
church choir as a youngster. “When Will I See You Again” reflects
that history, vocally and topically. I like the harmony with Fred
Hammond — they play off one another, and that aids McKnight
considerably. They plead for a better day because “…the world is
sinking down so low.” “When You Wanna Come” has a heavy heart-like
thumpity thump beat in the background that adds some interest, but
I still found it pretty monotonous and nothing special; just
another song in a long lineup of uniformity. The vocals are bit too
familiar.
On this release, McKnight starts off on a pleasing note, but sad
to say, after hearing that same note for half an hour, I lost
interest. Brian McKnight does not want to be put into a musical
“genre” box. And yet, on this disc, he contains himself almost
exclusively to that self-imposed r&b/soul box. I have no
problem with the music itself, or with the lyrics. But he sticks
with what is safe, rather than venturing out and stretching
himself, and could stand to expend more energy vocally. I also
think it would be interesting to see him go in a completely
different direction with his music, even if I’m not sure what
direction that might be. He seems like a talented man who just
hasn’t quite matured into his potential as an artist.
Unfortunately, after all is said and done, I still think Brian
McKnight’s work all sounds alike here, or at the very least, so
repetitious that I find myself getting bored very quickly. I
suspect I am in the minority on this… he is definitely loved by
many, judging by sales. But sales aren’t everything.
