Angie Stone, The Gym | Track Review

R&B veteran Angie Stone taps fellow R&B vet, Musiq Soulchild, for “The Gym,” the stellar promo single from her 10^th studio album, Love Language.

“Take it easy, I’m out of shape.” Understood, Angie Stone – the struggle is real ! Even though “the weight is starting to wear” the Grammy-nominated neo-soulstress down, she’s not really talking about Planet Fitness or comparable gyms – she’s talking about love! That is fitting given her tenth studio album is entitled Love Language (May 19, 2023).  What is clever about the promo single, “The Gym”, featuring fellow neo-soul standout, Musiq Soulchild, is how she maintains the gym concept.  It is safe to say that Ms. Stone works out consistent from start to finish !

Despite putting in work at the gym, “Addin’ pound after pound, I was in love with him,” Angie comes to realization “This ain’t workin’ out, it’s nothing like the gym.” Woo! The chorus marks one of the best moments, summarizing the sus nature of the relationship.  Later her bridge is sweet too, yielding the genius lyric, “Then when it’s time to spot me, you run away.” Woo!  Musiq enters the mix in the second verse, sharing his side of things. Similarly, he’s exhausted by Angie’s accusations.  The vocal chemistry is tremendous, as one would expect from these fabulous musicians.  Furthermore, the production ( Walter W. Milsap III, Teak Underdue, Balewa Muhammad, and Candice C. Nelson) provides a lift – oh, to return to the days where neo-soul was king.  Even if the gym is not your jam, “The Gym” will be – NO CAP !

via GIPHY

Angie Stone • Love Language • Conjunction Entertainment / SoNo Recording Group • 5.19.23

[: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Conjunction Entertainment / SoNo Recording Group; OpenClipart-Vectors, PIRO via Pixabay]