Ray J:
Raydiation

Release Date: 24 October 2005

Reviewed By: Melisa Tang

1. Keep Sweatin' - ft Fat Joe

2. Quit Actin' - ft R Kelly

3. Blue High Hills

4. Melody

5. Exotic

6. Sexy - ft Mya

7. What I Need

8. Shake That

9. Angel

10. One Wish

11. The War Is Over - ft Brandy

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It’s hard to believe that it’s been four years since Ray J dropped his last LP, ‘This Ain’t A Game’, with singles like ‘Formal Invite’ and ‘Wait A Minute’ heating up clubs worldwide. After taking time out to pursue his growing acting career and build up his own record label, Brandy’s lil’ bro is back, and with a whole new sound and image to boot.

With the release of ‘Raydiation’, Ray J shows fans a completely different side to him, with the focus now being on his R&B roots, as opposed to the “wannabe gangsta” routine, which was prominent on his last album. The LP also sees the return of producer Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins, most famous for his work with Brandy, Destiny’s Child, and Mary J. Blige. Timbaland and R. Kelly are also on the album, along with Shorty Mack, Fat Joe, Mya and big sister Brandy.

Ray J exposes his innermost feelings on the ‘Raydiation Intro’, on which he tells of how at 12 years of age, he felt neglected by his mother as she was busy helping Brandy to build her rising career. It was then that he turned to the streets for attention, and nearly got himself killed in the process. At that point, Ray explains, he realised that he had to turn his life around, or end up six feet deep.

On an album heavy with mid-tempo ballads and slow jams, Ray J has squeezed in a couple of club tracks to keep all fans happy, and after a slightly sombre beginning, the album picks up with the club banger ‘Keep Sweatin’. The cut features Fat Joe, and is guaranteed to blow up if it is released as a single. R. Kelly lays down the ‘Fiesta’-like beat for ‘Quit Actin’, one of the later party tracks. Kels does his part behind the decks to make it a potential hit on the dancefloor, but he should have left it there, as his vocal contribution to the song is a load of nonsense - literally!

The first official single lifted from this LP however, is the gorgeous mid-tempo ballad, ‘One Wish’. One of a few tracks produced by Jerkins, this song announces Ray J’s arrival as 2005’s R&B sensation. This may come as a surprise to many people, but Ray J really does have the voice to carry a ballad like this, and if you’ve seen the video for this track, you’d agree that the boy, (sorry, man), has the whole package going for him.

Similarly, Ray J’s vocals are at their best on ‘What I Need’, which is simply breathtaking. He continues his serenade on ‘Melody’, which sounds to be dedicated to his special someone – either that, or he’s simply in love with his music! Even on ‘Blue High Heels’, Ray J manages to spend four whole minutes singing about women in sexy heels, but he pulls it off rather well, much like Ginuwine and ‘In Those Jeans’.

However, the album fails to satisfy on tracks like ‘Sexy’ featuring Mya and ‘Let’s Play House’, where although the tracks aren’t too bad, some of the lyrics are laughable, and could do with a little work. The whole chorus on ‘Sexy’ is too simplistic, and takes away some of the credit Ray J deserves for his songwriting on other tracks. One particular line on ‘Let’s Play House’ is a prime example: “Girl, I am here to stay/ Just like that dark stain on your white carpet, I won’t go away.” Nevertheless, Ray J has the vocals and sex appeal to talk his way into and out of anything, and you’ll easily forgive him for the odd lyrical mistake once you’ve heard the rest of the album and what he has to offer.

All in all, ‘Raydiation’ is very impressive, and with this being his third album, Ray J has shown that he can roll with the big boys when it comes to raw talent. He may not have gotten his sound right the first couple of times around, but with this album, he’s got it spot on, and no one can deny the huge growth in Ray J as an artist. A truly great album, and one that all R&B lovers need in their collection.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Top Three Tracks:
4) One Wish
3) What I Need
2) Keep Sweatin’ featuring Fat Joe

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