Soulstar

How can a multi-platinum artist, after only two albums, turn his third into an exploration of futuristic funk without forgetting his roots in homegrown soul and old school hip hop? Singer/songwriter/producer Musiq has the answer to the question on ‘Soulstar’, a collection of fifteen memorable moments of soulsong, familiar and freakishly surreal.

Recording as usual, in his hometown of Philadelphia, Musiq and Writing/producing partners Carvin Haggins and Ivan Barias have gone so far beyond the tag "neo-soul" on ‘Soulstar’, you almost forget their previous collaborations, 2000's ‘Aijuswanaseing’ and 2002's ‘Juslisen’ defined that genre.

Musiq's desire to make his singularly, iconoclastic vision known gave ‘Aijuswanaseing’ a hushed but rushed quality to its caramel-coated grooves; a rawness that made his love songs tougher and his tough songs lovelier. For ‘Juslisen’ Musiq learned the value of teamwork; how to hip hop jump start even the smokiest, subtle groove. "I allowed other people's ideas to filter through more, to let other people's talent shine on".

Those albums, influenced by Musiq's heroes, Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, are benchmarks of modern soul based. But on ‘Soulstar’, Musiq has added new colours to his palette of inspiration - James Brown, David Bowie, Fela Kuti, Sly Stone - while maintaining a style uniquely his own, finding even newer nuances throughout.