Music Review: Elliott Yamin - Fight For Love

Elliott Yamin’s second album Fight For Love is an enjoyable listen, and does a good job of showcasing the singer’s immense vocal ability. The former American Idol contestant, who finished third in season five of the hit show, co-wrote several of the tracks on this album. Fight For Love takes on a modern R&B sound rather than the more Philly soul style Yamin displayed on the show.

There are several tracks that stand out on the album, particularly the catchy and upbeat “Cold Heart,” which seems radio ready. Lyrically the song is a fairly typical tale of the dangers of pursuing lust over real love, but musically the song is an infectious dance tune. Another highlight is “Someday,” a song Yamin wrote for his mom who passed away last year. The song is an emotional tribute dealing with Yamin’s feelings of loss and faith that he will see her again “someday.” The title track of the album is a stripped down ballad that is nice platform for Yamin’s singing.

Most of the tracks on Fight For Love deal with love and loss, and the album pretty much fits right in with the current R&B sound. While there are some fairly generic songs like “You” and “Can’t Keep On Loving You,” all of the songs are easy to listen to, and none stand out as being bad. Fight For Love is the kind of album that easily grows on you. Repeat plays reveal good catchy hooks and well written songs.

It is Yamin himself that raises the album another level. As already mentioned, he is a great singer. He also seems completely invested in the songs. He puts something unique vocally into each song. In the future it would be great to see Yamin push the envelope even further and really flesh out his own distinctive style. Vocally he is almost there (if not already there on many levels), but musically he still needs, and should be able to, develop his own soul sound. Fight For Love is a step in the right direction, and the album is a definite must for his fans of Yamin. It should even please many modern R&B connoisseurs.

Article Author: Sherry Lipp

Sherry writes mostly music and DVD reviews, and on occasion she gets to do an interview. She plays the guitar, loves to read, watch movies, and write. Sherry also is a gluten free food blogger, and enjoys coming up with grain and sugar free recipes.

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