A taste of Christmas, R&B from Musiq Soulchild

Category: Entertainment Published on Thursday, 31 December 2009 11:06 Written by Genea Webb - Courier Features Writer Hits: 1082

Neo-soul artist Musiq Soulchild has given his fans a beautiful Christmas present with the release of a seven-song album entitled “Christmas Musiq” as well as a chart topping R&B CD.

The Christmas disc, which is available on iTunes and other electronic media spots, showcases Musiq’s unique take on such classic Christmas tunes as “The First Noel,” “O Holy Night” and Jingle Bells.”

MUSIQ SOULCHILD

“The songs I chose had to be public domain songs. I couldn’t do any originals by any artists. You don’t really get any publishing because they’re old, well-overused standards,” Musiq said.

Despite that, the artist did his thing on “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Deck the Halls,” and “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

“I always like to play on different vibes and things that people don’t talk about—how good it feels to sit and drink some really good hot chocolate in a nice diner,” Musiq said.

The artist wrote “Christmas Musiq” while working simultaneously on his fifth studio album, “OnMyRadio.” “OnMyRadio” has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. It also spawned the top 10 hits “Sobeautiful” and “ifuleave.”

Musiq Soulchild’s unique take on music and prolific work ethic is what has made him a household name in R&B music.

The Philadelphia-born singer whose real name is Taalib Johnson, is the oldest of nine children. He got his start in the business by frequenting open mic nights until he gained the attention of Def Soul record executives.

Soon after signing with Def Soul, Musiq released his debut album, “Aijuswanaseing” in 2000. The album produced the hit singles, “Just Friends (Sunny)” and “Love.” The album sold more than one million copies.

Two years out of the gate, Musiq Soulchild graced the masses with “Juslisen.” The project entered the charts at number one and spawned the hits “Dontchange” and “Halfcrazy.”

Both albums earned him a slew of awards including Grammys, MTV Video Music Award, Soul Train Music awards and BET Awards.

In 2002 he released “Soul Star.” The album was an instant hit with songs “Forthenight” and “Whoknows.”

Following a four-year hiatus, Musiq returned under the direction of Atlantic Records in 2006. He released “LuvanMusiq” in 2007 that had the hit “Teachme.”