Music Review: Pleasure P - The Introduction of Marcus Cooper

Paying homage to a long and illustrious line of male R& B entertainers that have set the standards for how it’s really done, R&B rookie Pleasure P arrives on the solo scene with The Introduction of Marcus Cooper, a consistent and throbbing effort that quickly makes a statement about the singer’s ability to hook listeners, particularly the females he understandably can’t get enough of. Offering a blend of sensitive and touching balladry with pulsating hip-hop/soul and street edge, the 12-track album is a solid release from a promising talent, who succeeds in his quest for fans to get to know him a little better as a determined solo act.

Leaving his brothers of Pretty Ricky behind for a shot at solo stardom, Pleasure P boasts the vocal skills and the curious confidence he’ll need to stick around. Forget the explicit and detailed sexual encounters we get from his former band. On his solo debut, he tastefully tackles sex and relationships, promising his time and undivided attention instead of offering a night of non-stop, head-banging passion. Aiming for sophistication and avoiding the clichés is always a nice touch.

But it's not that the singer has abandoned raw passion completely now that he’s on his own (some lines and lyrics leave little to the imagination). It’s just that Pleasure P excels on this album when he's at his most refined, when he's not trying to raise your eyebrows, and when there's adequate space in the musical arrangements. On soul-stirring tracks like “Your Love" and “Did You Wrong” he plays the stand-up guy, offering his heart and soul to his woman, while the poignant "Fire Lovin" offers a lesson to the fellas on how to treat the ladies right and what it means to compromise.

“Under”, his current single and “Tenderoni” another velvet smooth record about passion and intimacy, increase the tenderness quotient, and finds the singer driving his point home about his expertise on winning and keeping a lady’s heart. Occasionally, one might think all the songs monotonously offer varying treatments of the same topic. But while the overwhelming theme may be love, sex and relationships, the material is never less than engaging, and Pleasure P’s voice handles this material sufficiently well.

Article Author: TYRONE S REID

Tyrone S Reid is an award-winning Jamaican writer and cultural critic who is passionate about the arts and providing cultural information for people who need it.

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