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''Juslisen'' is Musiq Soulchild's second album, released in 2002. It debuted on the Billboard at #1 on May 25, 2002, on both the Billboard 200 (where it spent 35 weeks, falling off on February 22, 2003) and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, spending 48 weeks there, eventually disappearing from the tally on April 26, 2003. It was nominated for "R&B Album of the Year" at the 2003 Grammy Awards. - Wikipedia

Even though Philadelphia neo-soul love-man Musiq Soulchild has dropped his second stage-name, he's still got the most pretentious moniker in showbiz. Well, it's actually a tie: let's not forget art-techno producer Mike Paradinas, who frequently records under the name u-Ziq. Just think of what a collaboration might sound like! Perhaps they can cover the Ronettes' "I Can Hear Music"!

Until that happens, though, the Philly singer's solid second album should hold us over just fine. While his 2000 debut, Aijuswanaseing (that's "I Just Want to Sing" to the rest of us), Musiq made like a homespun Stevie Wonder disciple-literally, since the album was a demo that impressed the record company so much that after a little sprucing they released it pretty much as-is. Juslisen not only has an easier to understand titlewhosewordsruntogether, its production is far cleaner and brighter. Songs like the single "Halfcrazy," the snappy funk of "Religious," and the stutter-stepping "Newness" (a lovely meditation on the giddy opening stages of a relationship) and "Babygirl" all benefit from the increased clarity.

Musiq is hardly a mimic (check out Glenn Lewis's World Outside My Window if you want to hear someone really ape Stevie Wonder), but if he has a problem, it's that he hasn't quite found his own distinct voice yet. That goes double when he uses lengthy samples of other people's songs: DeBarge on "Ifiwouldaknew," Bohannon on "Caught Up." Nevertheless, he's got so much vigor that even a chestnut like the Beatles' "Something" gains in energy-and it goes a long way here.