Chicago kid, IsH-iLLa has endured a lifetime of suffering which has added an authentic intensity to his craft. IsH-iLLa has been on the grind for a few years now, kicking things off with the album, “Stronger Than Before”, of which the single, “Love is the Light” found its way onto the Urban AC Charts during the summer of 2012. On the 15th of May IsH-iLLa dropped his latest album, “Life After Pain”.
This album is great and I will tell you why. So often artists will have a new single that sounds great and then the rest of the album falls short and disappoints. Or you will have an artist with a great voice but the production sucks. Neither of those scenarios were the case, for “Life After Pain”.
IsH-iLLa delivers real vocals, real passion, and real soul that will connect to any R&B fan base. So many people complain that there is no good music being released these days. Well IsH-iLLa and this album alone are a huge contradiction to that statement. There is plenty of great music being made, people just don’t know where to find it, and support it full force when they do.
This album is a magnificent addition to IsH-iLLa’s already stellar, soulful catalog. And that statement can be backed up by my personal favorite cuts on the album “Married to this Life”, “Deliver us from Chains”, “Up from Here” and “Life after Pain”. If you want some down home, silky smooth, real deal R&B, then you should pick up this album as soon as possible.
IsH-iLLa has got his pulse on R&B and he knows what to do with it. His songs are drenched in soul; his music fits the mood, and is totally on point. His voice is as strong as ever and can carry those notes with the best of them, right into falsetto. His singing is often gritty with a stunningly soulful edge, while also smooth and soothing when the track calls for it.
Don’t think for a second that IsH-iLLa is some played-out ladies’ man that can sing but doesn’t have melody or honest lyrics. People like Donell Jones and Avant have that problem. IsH-iLLa has outstanding melody and he speaks, what most would call, the truth, in all of his songs.
The real problem is that he’s not as big in the circuit as he should be, but that’s okay, because this album should start bringing them in. I had never heard of IsH-iLLa myself, until I pushed play on “Life after Pain”. I was hooked after that. And so will you be!
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