Montell Jordan Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
The title Life After Def is a reference to Montell Jordan's departure from the Def Soul imprint, a member of the Def Jam family of labels. According to Jordan, Def Soul's constant efforts to re-create the massive success of "This Is How We Do It" caused him to record subpar party anthems that he couldn't stand behind. When he finally got to record his deep and personal self-titled album, Def Soul failed to work it and it barely caused a blip on the radar. The sincere and heartfelt Life After Def's impact is only slightly weakened by 2002's Montell Jordan. This is the second time listeners have traveled down this road in two years, but this time Jordan's return to form includes more commentary and disappointment about the state of contemporary R&B. Def Soul's non-support is addressed right away on "The Big Man's Back," when a news reporter asks if this is his fifth or sixth album. The album drops the subject for a while and offers the slinky funk of "Aight" and "True" instead. "I'm Going Krazy (Straight Bananas)" is one of the loosest and most playful Jordan numbers ever as the singer explains that a lady is driving him "bananas" and "ba-noodles." It's a funky riot, but the real highlight of the album ends up being "Denise" and its intro. "Denise" asks why superstar rappers have to be awkwardly inserted on every R&B album in the 2000s before Jordan breaks into his own aloof rap à la Bootsy. It's all part of his doing everything in-house, with Jordan's JorJa Black team handling all the production. There's a bit of filler, but Life After Def is one of Jordan's most convincing and satisfying albums, untarnished by the usual clichés. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Throughout the seven years following Montell Jordan's gigantic breakthrough with "This Is How We Do It" in 1995, the sultry vocalist never had a problem garnering commercial success. Every one of his first four albums had at least one hit song. However, despite the commercial success, Jordan did have somewhat of a problem garnering respect, never being able to escape the towering shadow of "This Is How We Do It." No matter how successful successive singles such as "Let's Ride" or "Get It On...Tonite" were, they never equaled the success of his debut single. Plus, it didn't help that most of Jordan's first four albums were weighed down by too much commercial schlock -- the sort of by-the-numbers urban ballads streamlined for optimal radio play -- not to mention all the filler. For his fifth album, a self-titled effort, Jordan finally made an album for himself rather than for his fans, an issue he addresses in the liner notes: "This is the 1st MONTELL JORDAN album. I have made party albums, street albums, jeep albums, strip-club anthems, bedroom albums, and a bunch of other things that I thought YOU wanted to hear. This time, there was no one to look at but ME...sure, there is some 'ear candy' on this album, but a TRUE listener will come away from this album able to say that they finally know who Montell Jordan is, where he is at, and will hopefully appreciate and understand what I bring to the game." And, yes, this is a more introspective and sincere album than Jordan's past few efforts, justifying its eponymous title and worthy of the respect the vocalist hasn't been able to earn throughout his career. There aren't any big-name collaborations, and Jordan thankfully doesn't delve into pop-rap like he did on past albums in an effort to score crossover success. In a way, this was his least-commercial effort at the time of its release. Jordan works almost exclusively with producers Steven Estiverne and Focus..., and gets very deep toward the conclusion of the album, not ashamed to express his spirituality. Yet as personal and uncompromising as this album is, it's still very accessible, particularly the radio-ready moments like "You're the Right One," "You Must Have Been," and "Mine Mine Mine." ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Montell Jordan's fourth album Get It On...Tonite is a mixed bag of intelligently written songs and overbearing clichés. Jordan established himself in the mid-1990s as a surprisingly consistent R&B star with several successful albums, each featuring at least one major hit single. He also established himself as a top-notch songwriter, especially after penning Deborah Cox's unforgettable monster smash "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here." Those reasons make it all the more frustrating when, on his fourth album, Jordan relies so heavily on R&B loverman clichés, with tired "between the sheets" lyrics such as "your body layin' next to mine," "scream and moan," and "kisses down below" permeating way too much of his music ("Can't Get Enough" is beyond tacky). The album, which is divided into two halves (the first being "for those who like it fast," the second being "for those who need it slow,") does include several great tracks, including the irresistible lead off single "Get It On...Tonite" (the single version featured LL Cool J, while the album version is just Jordan), the wonderful story song "Once Upon a Time" (which is also included as a surprisingly well-pronounced Spanish-language bonus track), the fun and funky disco party jam "Come Home," and the Latin/Asian influenced "Maybe She Will." Jordan also employs plenty of female vocalists (á la Luther Vandross) to incredibly pleasing results, and there's no denying his talent in crafting a catchy pop song. If Jordan would lay off the clichès, and concentrate on well-written songs like "Once Upon a Time" then the sky is the limit, but his overbearing reliance on tired lothario lyrics is frustrating for those listeners who are well aware of his potential. As a final note, Jordan includes an adequate cover of Phil Collins' 1984 hit "Against All Odds." ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Montell Jordan was blessed with a strong set of producers for his debut album, This Is How We Do It. Working with material that is essentially sub-par, the production team turns in seamless performances, creating hooks and melodies from the deep bass and beats. Jordan's skills as a rapper are fine -- he does nothing particularly noteworthy, yet he certainly does not ruin the tracks. It was just the sort of competent R&B that hits the chart, and it did hit the charts, becoming a number one R&B album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
