Review Summary: Can’t Help Myself by singer/songwriter Josey Wellz is an album with good times vibe that runs throughout.
In my book, the tongue is a hugely underrated mammalian body organ. It's the fleshy and muscular resident that resides in our mouths for which we use to articulate speech, to taste, to swallow, to lick, and of course (my favorite!) to kiss and make love. Hip-hop musician Josey Wellz has even written a song about it he calls Kissing in Tongues that he included on his first record, I Can't Help Myself. Did I mention that he sings it in several different tongues, or languages? Well he does, and from the sound of it Josey really knows how to take a girl around the world.
I Can't Help Myself is an album collection of 6 tracks that singer/songwriter Josey Wellz put together and has just dropped this summer. It has a good times vibe that runs throughout. I get the impression from his lyrics that he's the kind of guy you'd meet at a party who's not too pushy and makes you laugh with his quirky, laid back sense of humor. And you know how we girls love it when a guy gets us laughing (admit it my sisters!) and how that laughter, as the night goes on, can often lead to a little mouth-to-mouth tongue dance and the inevitable swapping of spit or more.
Wellz makes his moves work on I Can't Help Myself by sounding like he's not working too hard while tackling some intense situations. On the song Conclusions he gets caught creeping and cheating by his girlfriend and weasels his way out with a bit of deflection and smooth talk. In the age of phones with cameras the chances of getting nailed by visual incrimination is higher than ever, so Abe Lincoln's axiom of honesty being the best policy has never been truer. The character on the down low in Josey's parable tries to get out from under the breakup gun by playing the ultimate trump card in a love relationship: the proposal and a ring.
As a lady who loves to get dressed up to the nines I have a special spot in my heart for this fun fellow's boyish observations that he makes in Fashion Statement. Any man who can talk to me in a complimentary way about my attire will more than likely get a little bit of my attention. It's just the way we women roll and a man who misses that point is a man who missed a potential open opportunity to tango with a temptress. If you know what I'm saying then I know you hear me when I talk, babe.
Now, getting down to the brass tacks regarding the musical merits or shortcomings of I Can't Help Myself. Josey Wellz is a competent vocalist. His pitch is on point, his delivery is well phrased and his timing is right on the money. He composes solid melodies that support very accessible lyrics. The instrumentation on the tracks is probably his strongest point as it's here where he sonically experiments the most. So, my main criticism is that he plays it a bit too safe and seldom colors outside of the lines. Since this is a first release I kind of feel the need to cut him some slack on that issue. With that being said, the verdict is in and I'll rate Josey Wellz and I Can't Help Myself 4 out of 5 stars.
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