Guess Who Loves You More, Raheem?

All this week we’re spotlighting those new albums that have been making us smile and excited about soul again. We decided to start off with a project from one of the hardest grinders in showbiz. Raheem DeVaughn’s magnum opus comes out tomorrow, “The Love & War Masterpeace,” with a slew of sultry soul and “fight the power” scoio-political consciousness that is inspiring, thought-provoking, and consistently compelling. Songs like “Bulletproof” with rap icon Ludacris has already received a lot of positive buzz, but the sweet spot on DeVaughn’s latest is a sweeping “We Are The World” epic entitled “Nobody Wins A War” featuring Ledisi, Bilal, Dwele, Algebra, Jill Scott, Anthony Hamilton, Chrisette Michelle, Shelby Johnson, Citizen Cope, Chico Debarge, and Ryan Currence.  Like his clear influence, Marvin Gaye, the uber-politico DeVaughn doesn’t forsake  romance for fighting the man; rhapsodic ballads like “Garden of Love” more than meets the love quota. Between pitch-perfect  star turns by Damian Marley and hipster fave Wale, and DeVaughn stepping up his grown-man game to fill that glaring void of a major label R&B artist actually speaking to these tumultuous times, The Love & War Masterpeace is already proving to be one of the best albums of 2010.  Who’s got next? Tune in tomorrow.

TAGS: Algebra, Anthony Hamilton, Bilal, Chico Debarge, Chrisette Michelle, Citizen Cope, Damian Marley, Dwele, Jill Scott, ledisi, Raheem DeVaughn, Ryan Currence, Shelby Johnson, Wale