★★★★★
R&B stalwart Raphael Saadiq returns on his fourth solo album, Stone Rollin', with plenty of soul to spare. A former member of the 80s trio Tony! Toni! Tone!, the multi-talented songwriter also produced the record and contributed bass, guitar, keyboard, and percussion. "Heart Attack" opens the album with a retro-tinged rock sound, the old-fashioned simplicity making for an immediate delivery...
- www.americansongwriter.com
2013-04-25
★★★★★
Summary: Saadiq introduces rock to his soul and conjures up his best material yet. It seems bizarre to me that Raphael Saadiq is 45 years old, first appeared on record in 1988 (probably before a lot of the people reading this were even born), and wrote songs it feels like I've been listening to for my whole life, like Lucy Pearl's "Don't Mess with My Man" and Tony Toni Toné's "If I Had No Loot"...
- www.sputnikmusic.com
2012-04-12
★★★★★
By the time of Instant Vintage, the (then) 35-year-old producer, vocalist and sideman had a considerable musical past. He'd sung in gospel groups from the age of six, and played bass with and on tour at just 18. After enjoying substantial success with , and the brief, fraught but delightful supergroup , here Saadiq struck out on his own. Calling on friends such as , and T-Boz from , Saadiq created an album that was as refreshing as neo-soul got...
- www.bbc.co.uk
2013-04-23
★★★★★
Summary: Saadiq introduces rock to his soul and conjures up his best material yet. It seems bizarre to me that Raphael Saadiq is 45 years old, first appeared on record in 1988 (probably before a lot of the people reading this were even born), and wrote songs it feels like I've been listening to for my whole life, like Lucy Pearl's "Don't Mess with My Man" and Tony Toni Toné's "If I Had No Loot"...
- www.sputnikmusic.com
2011-11-21
★★★★★
Raphael Saadiq has created a time warp back to when Sly Stone ruled the urban airwaves and Motown was almost a way of life. On his fifth solo album, the former Tony! Toni! Tone! leader has crafted a masterpiece that harkens back to those days while still maintaining a fresh musical feel."Heart Attack" opens the album with Sly influences airbrushed throughout the pounding beat. The monotone vocals set the smoky back-alley-club feel that permeates the entire disc...
- www.ink19.com
2011-10-11
★★★★★
There was nothing revelatory about mining classic soul when Raphael Saadiq dropped The Way I See It in 2008. In fact, the practice was flirting with the point of saturation, yet what made Saadiq's Motown homage special was its masterful execution. While others emulated Stax and the sound of young America, Saadiq embodied the spirit. With Stone Rollin', California's vintage soul man is doubling down on the classic R&B while drawing from a deeper well and muddying up the water...
- www.austinchronicle.com
2011-06-27
★★★★★
R&B veteran Raphael Saadiq turns it up a notch on his fourth LP, attacking his latest collection of soul-pop songs with the electrifying fervour and meticulous musicianship typical of his stage show. Two decades into his career, the former Tony! Toni! Toné! frontman is beyond revivalist. He embodies a classic soul spirit, delivering rockabilly rhythms and blistering guitar work along with sweeping strings and gospel harmonies...
- www.nowtoronto.com
2011-05-16
★★★★★
From 2002's Instant Vintage up through 2008's Grammy-nominated The Way I See It, former Tony! Toni! Toné! standout and relentless mega-producer Raphael Saadiq has gradually resuscitated the energy that characterized his soulful R&B trio as a solo artist. On his excellent, career-finest LP, Stone Rollin,' Saadiq truly comes into his own, playing virtually every instrument, in addition to writing and producing the album...
- www.avclub.com
2011-05-11
★★★★★
While this R&B; singer's last album (2008's excellent The Way I See It) was heavily steeped in classic Motown, he takes a much more expansive approach on his latest album while still remaining rooted in various vintage musical styles ranging from Sly & The Family Stone's high-energy funk rock, Johnnie Taylor's gritty Memphis soul and Stevie Wonder's jazz-tinged R&B; to sacred steel gospel, Chicago blues and early rock & roll.
- kexp.org
2011-05-11
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