Carl Thomas, “I Wish” | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 49^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2022), we recollect and reflect on “I Wish” by R&B singer Carl Thomas. 

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome – we don’t discriminate ‘round here! In the 49^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2022), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “I Wish”, performed by 🎙 Carl Thomas. 

Theme & Lyrics ✍

R&B isn’t as popular as it once was, sadly.  Only a select few R&B albums, often by a select few artists, catch fire commercially.  Back in the 90s and 00s however, R&B was still striving, with many musicians topping the charts and securing those platinum plaques. 🎙 Carl Thomas is one of those musicians who managed to carve out success without being the torchbearer of the genre, per se.  His debut album, 💿 Emotional (2000), is his most successful, spending 49 weeks on the Billboard 200, debuting (and peaking) at no. 9.  Ultimately, it’s his sole platinum album. 🎵 “I Wish” is easily my favorite song from the album, and the most successful single of Thomas’ career.  It peaked at no. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, and ultimately topped the Adult R&B Airplay chart for 10 weeks.  Why? It’s a vibe!

“I Wish” is a solid, contemporary R&B record, period. Thomas penned “I Wish” alongside producer 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Mike City. City gives Thomas a chill, lush, and soulful backdrop to paint his superb vocals upon. The groove is laid-back, perfect fuel for Carl’s fire.  Basically, Thomas has a love situation on his hands, summed up perfectly by the centerpiece of the song, the chorus:

“And I wish I never met her at all

Even though, I love her so

She got love for me

But she still belongs to someone else.”

Basically, he’s in love with someone else’s girl.  She loves him too, but, as the first verse tells it, “She dropped the bomb on me / When she said that she / Was unhappily married with children.” As the saying goes, ain’t that some sh—? Thomas goes on to say that this woman wants him, but she can’t abandon her family.  Still, he selfishly, though understandably asks, “But what about me?” In the bridge, he characterizes this situation as a 📚 Catch-22, but hopes, “Maybe in another life / Things could be the way we both desired.”

Final Thoughts 💭

Love can be something else – a ‘female dog’ for sure! Carl Thomas masterfully captures that sentiment on 🎵 “I Wish”. It’s a crappy situation but at least Carl makes the best of it with his awesome vocal performance and this marvelous song.

🎙 Carl Thomas • 💿 Emotional • 🏷 Bad Boy • 🗓 2000

Carl Thomas, “I Wish”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 49 (2022) [📷: Bad Boy, Brent Faulkner, Gerhard G., JL G via Pixabay,  Karl Hörnfeldt via Unsplash,  The Musical Hype]