Steve Harvey
Sign of Things to Come
MCA
This could very well go down in history as the worst concept of all time. Stand-up comedian Steve Harvey picks his favorite songs – meaning, I assume, songs the label wants to give an extra, half-assed push – and talk a bit in between from time to time, proving in the process that stand-up comedians don’t have to be either funny or have good taste in music.
A few well-known names serve to raise the quality and the sale of the album – Mary J. Blige, Angie Stone, and Yolanda Adams are the good ones. But the featured artists are more often than not your run-of-the-mill, bland kind of r&b-thing that have neither originality nor any particular talent to offer. Except for perfect skin, that is. Now, much can be said for that, but it doesn’t really come across on record.
The “cause” of the album, judging by the title, is for Harvey to predict the next up-and-coming names, and he saves his four picks for the end. Nine20, Morrison Slick, The B.L.A.C.K. Experience, and Dejur are their names, and they are as boring and bland as the rest of them. Worse yet, Harvey signs off by promising a follow-up to this one. Now, that’s just cruel.
MCA Records: http://www.mcarecords.com
