Lyfe Jennings

"Lyfe Change", (Columbia, 2008)

This brand new offering from Ohio native Lyfe Jennings is all about changes within himself as an artist, his growth and maturation. Now three albums deep "Lyfe Change" exposes another side to Lyfe as an artist and his acceptance of others on his musical journey. "Lyfe Change" is pretty much a standard RnB album for the more mature listener that embraces Lyfe's truthfulness about love and socially aware narrative over laidback beats. Lyfe Jennings is a multi-instrumentalist, singer songwriter and record producer who sings with conscience and definitely from the heart, with smoothed out tones and powerful emotions he displays just what a class act he is. Coming from a chequered past Lyfe Jennings delivers as always a classic album with few standout tracks such as love song "Never Never Land" where he realises that what he's feeling is not a fairytale, as within life there is change, "Wild Wild Wild", which is about safe sex, the reggae/ gospel track produced by Wyclef Jean "You Think You Got It Bad" which suffers from way too much Wyclef! and would have faired better with a credible reggae artist to give it some authenticity and "Old School" which is one of the few up-tempo tracks which highlights Lyfe's social awareness side, which was highly evident in his past two offerings. "Lyfe Change" follows the lines of love whereas his past "Lyfe Jennings" and "The Phoenix" where about the struggle through life, but this album appeals more to the mainstream and has a few fillers which quite frankly are not needed. Now working with an array of producers, Wyclef Jean, Jerry Duplessis (Estelle, Cartel), The underdogs (Beyonce', Tyrese, Marques Houston) and features T.i and Snoop Dog this is a strong third set which is not as raw and gritty as the last two which was appealingl, but still holding it's own as a contemporary urban RnB album.