August 2015 - Music

Album of the Month: Black Rose by Tyrese

When that Coca-Cola commercial appeared and a teenage Tyrese was first introduced to the public in 1994, it seemed to mark the appearance of the next great R&B/Soul voice. Overnight, everyone wanted to know who the handsome kid with the infectious smile and the brilliant vocal delivery was and when could we hear more? However, the early promise that followed with such hit songs as “Lately” and the Top 10 “Sweet Lady” from his platinum-selling RCA debut was not to be consummated for many more years to come.

Despite no less than four subsequent commercial solo efforts and three mixtapes, including some rather ill fated efforts at rap, Tyrese never really happened as a recording artist. Things improved dramatically by the time we arrived at his super group, TGT, with Tank and Ginuwine, on 2013’s Three Kings, but nothing from that rather delicious effort quite prepares you for what is reportedly Tyrese’s final stab at recording greatness, Black Rose. It took nine releases over 17 years, but Tyrese finally has an album that fulfils the promise of 21 years ago. Black Rose is Tyrese’s first bona fide grown man’s album that is as vulnerable as it is sexy as it is artistically mature. On his first independent album release since his career began, Tyrese Gibson has finally arrived.

It’s been written that the death of fellow "Fast and Furious" co-star and personal friend, Paul Walker, had a profound effect on Tyrese, with Gibson reportedly going into a deep depression over the untimely loss. If it was from that tragedy that this great blues was born and properly channelled through Gibson’s creative touch, then it can be said that Tyrese has transformed an ocean of painful emotion into the truest album of his creative life. And in that harrowing process, he’s also gifted us what is easily one of the best and most consistent R&B/Soul albums of the year. My rating 10/10.