Taalib Johnson, aka “Musiq Soulchild” or simply “Musiq,” is an American neo-soul artist from Philadelphia. His musical style blends several influences, including blues, jazz and funk. Musiq Soulchild is certainly an interesting name.
“People knew me but they didn’t know me. They just called me the ‘music dude.’ So after getting that so much, I just told them to call me Musiq,” the artist has said. He says “Musiq Soulchild” means that he is an artist of this generation, but he represents traditions and legacies from past soul stars. You can hear his respect for past soul stars in the sound of his music.
The biggest theme in Musiq’s works is his story-telling about love and the complexities of relationships. He tells stories of break-ups, the high points and low points of different relationships, good-looking women and expressions of love. Musiq’s songs are mostly very happy and upbeat songs, which is refreshing and brightens your day.
His albums include “Aijuswanaseing” (2000), “Juslisten” (2002), “Soulstar” (2003), “Luvanmusiq” (2007), “On My Radio” (2008), “MusicInTheMagiq” (2011) and “9ine” (2013). Although all his albums are great, my favorite is definitely “Juslisten.” There was a big funk influence on this album, and it created a really great collection of songs from beginning to end. Throughout his career, Musiq has been nominated for 11 Grammy Awards in the R&B/Soul genre.
If you are looking for some music to lift your spirits and also chill you out, Musiq Soulchild is a great artist to look to. A good place to listen to his songs is on YouTube. Here are some works I recommend:
The Entire “Juslisten” album – Awesome album from start to finish. The two songs “Babygirl” and “Previous Cats” are examples of great songs.
“Settle for My Love” – A really chill song.
“Just Friends (Sunny)” – This is an especially nice and happy song. It’s about a guy who wants to get to know a girl and hang out with her, whether or not they end up dating.
