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Product Details
One-man show Dweles debut, Subject, comes correct with neo-soul staples in place. That is to say, there are enough acoustic guitars, stacked harmony vocals, mid-tempo grooves, and sound effects of scratchy vinyl to power an old-school symposium. What the Detroit-bred associate of backpack-rappers Slum Village lacks in depth, he makes up for in sheer summer-ready listenability. Dweles genre could be called neo-neo-soul; he seems to owe as much to the foundations laid down by DAngelo as to obvious idol Stevie Wonder. While lacking the idiosyncrasies of those artists, Dwele manages to slide out of the speakers with enough skills to convince a casual listener to let the languid mood take over. Subjects title track is its most fully imagined; the needle-on-record gambit that obscures its likable chorus could actually be heard as a conceptual gambit rather than a mere irritation. Elsewhere, Dwele piles on the quiet-storm stuff so masterfully that he sows confusion, while at least seemingly hoping to settle down with one conquest. Vision is hardly up to talent here, but for now, Dwele gets a pass on winning sonics alone. --Rickey Wright
Product Reviews
 (4 stars) - Winner of a debut from Detroit's neo-soul prodigy
Detroit neo-soul artist Dwele emerged as an associate of Motown rap outfit Slum Village and released his debut "Subject" in 2003. "Subject" is an immediately appealing listen, endlessly smooth with some really pretty melodies and a well-developed style. Vocally, Dwele reminds me of a softer, airier Musiq Soulchild, but his sound fuses a neo-soul approach with the dusty Detroit vinyl grooves of his buddy J. DIlla, marrying a throwback distant delivery in his verses with hip hop-influenced beats. He has a textured, bright voice, and much of "Subject" is purely feel-good music, brilliantly executed with seamless performances, likable songwriting, and great execution. His lyrics and verses have a free structure, adding genuineness to his creative melodic phrasing. Neither too experimental nor overly retro, Dwele engineers his distinct sound himself by handling most of the production, which is generally very good, marked by organic percussion, soft vibes, and choppy mid-tempo guitars.
The two best songs are the brilliant openers, the slow, gorgeous "Truth" and the absolutely irresistible "Find a Way," a beautifully arranged, upbeat number with breezy strings, funky guitar licks, and a killer hook and bridge. Dwele sounds great over this production and produces two real winners to start. The light "Twuneanunda," a sparse, vibesy discussion of fake I.D.s and sneaking into clubs, is great, as is the rich, twangy thump of "Sho Ya Right." Late highlights include the catchy "Money Don't Mean a Thing" and the bright trombone-laden "Hold On." My only knock on the LP might actually be that it's too consistent; it all really sounds great, but it can be a little drowsy toward the middle because the tempos, instrumentals, and harmonies are so similar.
"Subject" is such a sonically great album that it can be hard to put down; Dwele's got an awesome style and great sound. I highly recommend this to any fans of neo-soul, R&B, and certain hip hop listeners as well; Dwele's debut is a smooth, catchy, and overall excellent listen.
 (5 stars) - The Truth
All that I can say is that I've been diggin Dwele since I 1st heard him on Slum Village's TAINTED & Jay Dee (J. Dilla)'z Welcome 2 Detroit Album. I've got Sketches & Some Kinda....(still hate that the CD has that cursed DRM protection on it!?!? I cannot sync it to my Blackjack2 NOR will the content Sync to my Microsoft Zune!?!? Just takes up space in my WindowMediaPlayer!!! Bad move on that album so far as how you can listen to it aside from playing the CD ol skool. But I had been lacking SUBJECT in my collection...I was talking to my Ladyfriend a few weeks ago about albums we needed for out collection just casual convo. Then just as we were headed out to dinner she reaches in her purse and pulls out Dwele's SUBJECT!!! OMG!?! I almost flipped!?!? Told me that she ordered it from Amazon a week ago!! The album is Beautiful and since the "SUBJECT" of my affection gave this album to me? It's that much MORE special! I thank GOD for the gift of this album and the creative mindset of Dwele Gardner when he made this album! OH it's on my Blackjack2(WinMobile 6.1) & My Microsoft ZUNE! By the way! ; ) *wink* converted it to mp3 as soon as I got home!
This album is THE TRUTH just like Track #2! A couple of my other favs are
#10: "HOLD ON" & #12: "WITHOUT YOU" just to name a few. If you're a lover of good Neo-Soul/R&B be sure to pick this one up! You'll be glad that you did.
(5 stars) - One of the greatest CDs ever!
Doesn't get any better than this!! Extremely meaningful lyrics. Very romantic, but also some energetic tracks. I've bought this CD 3 times... whenever it gets scratched or "borrowed".
(5 stars) - My Favorite R&B Singer!!!!
This man has music for your soul, every album he's made, is wonderful, if your into music for the soul, then I suggest you treat yourself to any of his albums!!!!!!
(5 stars) - the subject
the debut from Dwele starts off on a pretty good note. By track 3 though is where it really begins to kick in and things are taken up a notch.
Subject had to be one of the cds in 2003 for folks to watch and listen for. It covers various topics in relationships and love and is done in a way. You can't help but fall for. It gets a bit rocky towars the end track 13 (which is pretty much an interlude). But concludes nicely and leaves things open for what will probably be an even better sophomore effort.
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