Beginning in 1992, Brian McKnight started speaking to the hearts of R&B listeners. Since then, he's never stopped.
Gifted with a truly beautiful tenor voice that can reach into higher ranges, McKnight's singing began in church. His older brother Claude McKnight had a decorated career as a gospel singer, but Brian followed a path conflicting with the sanctity of gospel. Although religion remains a clear part of McKnight's life, his most popular songs deal with sex as much as romantic love. The duality between "holy" and secular love leaves its mark in different places on his new album, "Gemini."
This album is McKnight's seventh studio release, and it carries the same qualities that have long sustained his career. He produces much of his own music and turns out honest song lyrics, making for a less formulaic album experience. Maturity and romance emerge as the dominant themes on "Gemini."
"What We Do Here," the first single from the album, was released in late 2004. It emerged as a number-one single and earned McKnight a Grammy nomination for best male R&B vocal performance. Over twanging guitar riffs and a soft keyboard, McKnight sings to an imaginary groupie, reassuring her that their backstage encounter will remain private. The infectious hook in this track makes it an instant favorite for listeners.
In the next track, "Every Time You Go Away," the instrumentation is made up of strings and grand piano, but the quality and tone of the music remain the same. The sincerity of McKnight's voice is a central focus of this track, and the lyrics are sensitive and honest: "Every time that I'm with you girl/Can't believe you share my world/But it's real/And every time that I hold you close to me/Forever's all that I can see."
There are a few factors that interrupt the album's flow, as shown by the great cumulative effect of the first eight minutes and twenty-one seconds of "Gemini." McKnight has displayed an undeniable spirituality in his music, though it is not one that has proven overbearing in the past. His continuing success is based on his universal respect for love and the blessings it can bring.
However, it is McKnight's struggle to remain connected to his religion that causes some disconnect on "Gemini." The last track, "Me & You," feels out of place on an album that is otherwise made up of love ballads. A professionally crafted beat along with calmly passionate vocals make it a poignant song, but the lyrics, which chronicle the death of Jesus Christ, are uncharacteristically heavy in comparison with the others. This track deserves a listen, but it feels drastically out of place.
The hip-hop influence on a few of the tracks also disrupts the album. Master lyricist Talib Kewli appears on "She," inserting a rap verse that stands apart from the rest of the song, which is very true to McKnight's style.
Rapper Juvenile and hip-hop artist Akon are carelessly thrown onto "Whatcha Gonna Do," which has a haphazard beat that has no grace or direction: this is only amplified by the sound of alarm clocks ringing in the background.
Old School rapper Heavy D's shared production duty on "Grown Man Business" is slightly more successful. This is the only instance of hip-hop working to the advantage on the entire album, but it is not a sound that stays true to Brian McKnight's. The grown and sexy theme of the lyrics is borrowed from artists like Jay-Z and R. Kelly. "Grown Man Business" will get airplay, but it lacks the overall emotion of "Gemini."
Pure R&B has been on the decline in recent years, and as a result has joined with hip-hop to become a new genre in music. In fact, the billboard charts now make no distinction between the two, as they share a single Hip-Hop/R&B chart. A crossover hit can bring great exposure by appealing to a much wider audience, and this may have been the impetus for McKnight's experimentation on "Gemini."
Brian McKnight's struggle between remaining true to his music and the pressure to sell records is evident throughout "Gemini." The album swings from purity to commercialism, but overall it remains successful because of the artist's true talent.
