Raphael Saadiq, Jimmy Lee | Album Analysis 💿

After penning a review for The Urban Music Scene, Brent Faulkner provides deeper analysis into Jimmy Lee, the superb fifth studio album by Raphael Saadiq. 

Eight years.  That’s how long it had been since Grammy-winning R&B musician Raphael Saadiq released a new studio album.  Sure, the 53-year old standout appeared on the Mudbound original motion picture soundtrack in 2017, but prior to 2019, his last album arrive in 2011 – Stone Rollin’. The good news is, Saadiq returns with a contemporary masterpiece – his very personal, socially-changed, fifth studio album, Jimmy Lee.  I originally penned a shorter, more succinct, review for Jimmy Lee on The Urban Music Scene (make sure you check it out, as well as the site itself!).  Here, on The Music Hype, I dive in more into his stellar LP with a track-by-track review.

“Sinners Prayer” 

✓ “Sinners Prayer” commences Jimmy Lee boldly, tackling such tough issues as police brutality against blacks, violence, even against the young.  Notably, Raphael Saadiq dedicates a sizable portion of the second verse to his “bud and seed,” his daughter.  Ultimately, he “[Looks] unto the hills, from whence cometh [his] help” (God), singing, “God / Help me make it / God / Can we make it? / God / When the sinner is praying / God / Will you hear it?”

“Sinner’s Prayer” is marvelous, but ✓ “So Ready” is a must-hear, funky fresh joint. The groove and the bass line are irresistible. Raphael Saadiq sounds awesome vocally, delivering a nuanced performance overall.  Even with so much energy and a sense of brightness about “So Ready,” the record references sins (“I’m still out here living wrong / These drugs was too strong”), not to mention breaking hearts.  Sure, the heartbreak can be associated with love, but it also seems to be associated with the ‘loss of control’ exhibited by the character portrayed on this highlight.

“This World is Drunk”

Saadiq certainly has a point on “This World is Drunk”: “This world is drunk / And the people are mad.” Beyond those key lyrics, the R&B singer/songwriter superbly paints the picture of hardship. On the verses, he paints a truly sympathetic picture of a soul that seems completely lost.  Obviously, that soul relies on vices to atone for being lost, but the insight by Saadiq helps to provide a reason why he chooses self-destructive behaviors.

Things remain ‘heavy’ on ✓ “Something Keeps Calling,” featuring Rob Bacon (guitar).  At the top, the adversity and depressed sensibility is legit, as Saadiq sings on the chorus:

“Something keeps calling me
I feel the burdens on me
Something keeps calling me
This is so heavy for me.”

A sense of failure is what stands out about the lyrics throughout both of the verses.  “My friends say I can never pull it together,” he sings on the first verse, later confirming, “And I know they’re right, at least tonight / If I fail, my whole life goes to hell.” On the second verse, “My wife says I’ll never have money again,” while later, “The priest said, ‘You’re gonna lose family.’” Amazingly, even as things look horrible, “Something Keeps Calling” is set in a major key, with gorgeous, soulful vibes that suggest optimism despite all the strikes against the protagonist.

“Kings Fall”

Following a string of four-minute-plus cuts, the songs on Jimmy Lee grow shorter in duration. “Kings Fall” doesn’t even reach three minutes, but packs a punch, nonetheless.  The personal nature of Jimmy Lee shows here, as Raphael Saadiq plays up the life of an addict, and how it affects his family.  “I disappoint myself sometimes,” he sings on the first verse, continuing, “‘Cause I can’t stop my bottom line / My kids cry, my wife’s scared / My friends think I’m better off dead…” The most powerful lyrics occur on the chorus, where the king has clearly fallen, including, “Even when I’m clean / I’m still a dope fiend” and “But nobody wants to see a strong man fallin’ / I used to be / Everybody’s hero… / Wondering what to do, Lord.” Notably, spirituality, a common theme throughout Jimmy Lee, comes into play at the end of the record.

The soulful ✓ “I’m Feeling Love” is nothing short of throwback goodness, clearly far removed from the 2010s.  Notably, there is thanks to God, despite the many issues and imperfections.  That sense of faith shines brightest on the second verse, with the lyrics, “You are my rehab / The only needle that I have / Injections everyday / Vein to vein.”  The refrain is quite compelling as well, with Raphael Saadiq referencing Willy Wonka, Edith Bunker, and George Jefferson among others.  Notably of Jefferson, he mentions “that walk.’

“My Walk” focuses on the physical walk (pathway) as well as the spiritual walk.  The sound of this record is distinct, with unique synths, and call and response vocals.  The call and response element goes back to spirituals and is a characteristic of some jazz and gospel music.  “My Walk” is no gospel song, but given the spiritual references that precede and follow, it doesn’t seem far-fetched that there’s a gospel sensibility.  The most intriguing lyrics arrive on the third verse:

“Very next mornin’ I had a horn in my hand
(On my walk)
I thought I was in the Southern marching band
(On my walk)
I love Jimmy but Jimmy smoke crack and sold my horn
(On my walk)
Jimmy shot heroin, he was my Mama’s son
(On my walk).”

“Belongs to God”

The gospel song has been coming in the context of Jimmy Lee – too many spiritual references for it not to happen. It comes at the hands of Reverend E. Baker on the old-school “Belongs to God.” This is not your modern era of contemporary black gospel – this is long before Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin.  “My feet, my leg / (Belongs to God),” sings Reverend Baker, later singing, “My whole body / (My whole body belongs to God).”  The point of this two-minute cut? Well, it seems to hearken back to the Biblical reference, 1 Corinthians 6:19:

¹⁹ Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body.…

It’s important, essentially, not to abuse one’s body.  In this particular passage from 1 Corinthians, the context is sexual immorality.  Whether Raphael Saadiq is going ‘all in’ with this angle in reference to HIV and AIDS is ultimately subject to interpretation.  What he does seem to be highlighting is the importance of making good choices, ones that ultimately don’t sacrifice one’s health and ultimately, life.

Following the short “Dottie Interlude,” Raphael Saadiq mentions AIDS hitting close to home on the powerful ✓ “Glory to the Veins”, featuring pianist Ernest Turner.  “Glory to the Veins” is set in a minor key, instantly giving it a darker vibe.  Once Saadiq begins singing, it’s clear where he’s going with the song: “It’s a world epidemic / And the whole world is in it / I lost a brother to AIDS / Still, he laughed every day.” After those key lyrics, he gets a bit more abstract and poetic lyrically, leading to a simple, two-word chorus, “Oh well.” The second verse remains poetic and troublesome; there’s an unsettling vibe. Once more, it’s clear that Saadiq – and/or the character he plays – needs the guidance of a higher power.  He sings:

“…There’s too many people walking behind me
I need you beside me, please come and find me
It’s been so cold, the light could blind me
God help me to find me.”

“Rikers Island”

As awesome as “Glory to the Veins” is, ✓ “Rikers Island” may be the song to beat on Jimmy Lee.  “Too many niggas in Rikers Island / Why must it be?” Saadiq sings on the powerful, socially-changed chorus, continuing, “Too many niggas in Rikers Island / Set ‘em free.” Safe to say, he begins an entirely new conversation, and it’s not merely limited to the infamy of “Rikers Island.” The big takeaway is the statement that Saadiq makes about the number of black men that are incarcerated.  Yes, it’s a horrible situation at Rikers Island, and universally panned correctional facility, but the theme transcends beyond this particular facility.  It’s amazing that this record with disturbing, hurtful subject matter for black families is arguably the funkiest of the album – truly a crown jewel.

The penultimate cut, “Rikers Island Redux,” features Daniel J. Watts, expands on what “Rikers Island” brilliantly initiated.  There are numerous magnificent lines, but one that instantly sticks out  is, “It’s complex how being born with this complexion ups the likelihood of dying in a prison complex / And Orange AIN’T the new black / Black is the same, same black.” “Rearview” concludes the deep and transcendent Jimmy Lee, featuring contributions from the one and only Kendrick Lamar, who is perfect for this type of record. Lamar performs both short verses, while Saadiq drops the chorus:

“I’ve been trying to figure out my life
I can’t see, even in plain sight
Though I cry, my tears don’t bring light
Your life is in your rearview.”

Saadiq repeats “Your life is in your rearview” nine times during the outro.

Final Thoughts 

Jimmy Lee is easily among the best R&B albums of 2019.  Furthermore, this meaningful, personal set is among the best albums, regardless of genre, in 2019.  Raphael Saadiq may have been missing in action for eight years, but he sounds as accomplished as ever vocally, musically, and thematically.  There are no misses whatsoever, only gems.

✓ Gems: “Sinners Prayer,” “So Ready,” “Something Keeps Calling,” “I’m Feeling Love,” “Glory to the Veins” & “Rikers Island”

Raphael Saadiq • Jimmy Lee • Columbia • Release: 8.23.19

Photo Credit: Columbia