Reading Time: 2 min read

4 out of 5 stars

Luke James, These Arms [Photo Credit: Island]Underrated, Grammy-nominated R&B singer Luke James ‘knocks it out of the park’ on his new, pure R&B gem, “These Arms.” Ripe falsetto is his best attribute.

Luke James has released one album up until this point – that’s a serious problem.  Why? This dude is extremely gifted and more folks need to hear the greatness that he has to offer.  Slowly but surely, he seems to be putting a lil “sumthin’ sumthin’” together, evidenced by the release of the single, “These Arms.”  So, just how good is “These Arms” – not his physical arms of course!

Upon first hearing “These Arms,” I found myself truly ‘shook.’  SHOOK I say!!! Why? The nostalgia of experiencing and hearing legit, real R&B.  There is nothing watered down about “These Arms” as the Grammy-nominated artist is ‘on’ from the opening tip.  This five-minute slow jam has ‘sex’ written all over it, and who would have it any other way? Luke James truly puts on a show, and you don’t have to physically attend or visually see it to feel the impact.  The vocals are superb, particularly when James ascends into some of the sickest head-voice (aka falsetto) I’ve heard in years.  Adding to the glory, “These Arms” has a truly memorable chorus, further encouraging what’s likely to go down.


Final Thoughts

Man – still trying to collect my thoughts here.  Still totally SHOOK.  Luke James is exactly what R&B needs because clearly, he’s still feels the spark that many of contemporaries DON’T.  This isn’t an assimilation to pop or hip-hop – this is legit R&B.  Get it Luke!


Luke James • These Arms – Single • Island • Release: 6.4.18
Photo Credit: Island

the musical hype

the musical hype (Brent Faulkner) has earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music (music education, music theory/composition respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He's a certified music educator, composer, and freelance music blogger. Faulkner cites music and writing as two of the most important parts of his life. Notably, he's blessed with a great ear, possessing perfect pitch.