This Is The Reason (The Reason - Lemar)

Member Name: bhayanid

Product:	The Reason - Lemar
Date:	23/05/09 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Many Quality Tracks

Disadvantages: None

For those of you who are not aware of Lemar, he rose to fame through the BBC show Fame Acamedy. Like with many of these reality TV shows, Lemar is an example of a contestant that did not win the show and yet has gone on to be much more successful than the person that did.

The Reason is Lemar's fourth album, which shows he has had some success in this country if he is still going and it is a good six years now since Fame Academy concluded. The production on this album is very high and it is clear to see that a lot of time has been spent on perfecting the lyrics and beats, however the problems with Lemar's music career do not seem to stem from his singing, as in terms of singing talent I would say he is amongst the best in this country.

Personally I feel that the tracks he release are as good as a lot of the American counterparts, I'm talking about people like Mario, Usher, Chris Brown etc. However what all these American guys have is the image, the ability to capture the stage, with well produced videos and heavy marketing campaigns. I for one, barely have seen Lemar out on the big shows promoting himself and advertising campaigns being strung across everywhere for this album. He needs a record label that will fully back him and spend serious money on putting Lemar's name out there as I am sure that once people listen to his album, they will understand that Lemar is a true talent. Of course the next stage would be cracking America, however I feel it is too late for Lemar to do this and he should just focus on expanding in this country.

All the tracks on this album are very good, however the first seven tracks I think are amazing, with each of them having a different style. The only ballad though is in the form of Mayday, which is just a Piano and drum beat with Lemar's voice and we really see how soulful it is.

The first track on the album is called The Reason, and of course has the same name as the album. This track kicks the album into overdrive with a very catchy piano beat and it is one of those tracks that you are sure you have heard before and maybe this is a cover. I just can't put my finger on it and if anyone knows where they have heard this before or if indeed it is fully original, then please let me know.

Heartbreaker is another classic track with its uptempo beat. Tracks like this just don't come around very often and the beat here. Before thise I was not sure how good Lemar would sound with more fast paced tracks, and he can pull them of delightfully here. His voice is just great here and this track is arguably my favourite on the album.

The second and fourth tracks are definitely targeted more towards commercial release and have very high production values. They are called If She Knew and Weight Of The World, and from what I am aware of they have both been released as singles. They both have a great flow and feel to them and are quality tracks. I would say Weight Of The World along with Heartbreaker are my favourite tracks on the album.

Personally this is my favourite Lemar album and just generally an excellent album all round. Unfortunately due to the low marketing budget for Lemar, it looks like an album that won't get a huge amount of airplay and just generally may go by unnoticed. It is a shame as Lemar has the potential for so much more.

Summary: A Top British R&B Album