Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It
label: Columbia
year: 2008
side 1a:
side 1b:
side 2a:
side 2b:
side 3a:
side 3b:
side 4a:
side 4b:
side 5a:
side 5b:
side 6a:
side 6b:
side 7a:
side 7b:
www.raphaelsaadiq.com | www.myspace.com/raphaelsaadiq
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love albums released as 7-inch box sets. And I got this one as a present, too. Much obliged, hermano Aguuzto.
In the nineties I sometimes saw posters or flyers in the centre of Amsterdam announcing a party or whatever, and among the names of performing artists there was this name (which I don’t remember) with “from Tony! Toni! Toné!” stuck to it. I always thought it looked stupid. Cheap. I don’t know. I also thought the fact that person used to belong to Tony! Toni! Toné! could hardly be a recommendation, as I thought they were shite.
When I listen to it now, I hear a couple of good tracks but I still can’t get used to the slow ones especially. And that digital sound, can’t handle it. That new jack swing was never really my thing. It’s weird though, because there’s loads of other digital stuff I do like.
Whatever.
Raphael Saadiq (from Tony! Toni! Toné!) has since produced and worked with some class people such as (to name but a few) D’Angelo, The Roots, Amp Fiddler, John Legend and the highly overrated Joss Stone, who’s on this release, returning the favour. He was also behind Lucy Pearl, with Ali Shaheed Muhammad (from A Tribe Called Quest) and Dawn Robinson (from En Vogue). The Way I See It is his fourth (and pretty great) solo album. Each single in this box comes with its own sleeve and the box itself has the album’s artwork. Classy!
The last track is not on the CD and LP versions. Which is nice.
Video of “100 Yard Dash”.