 "Photo: Jacqui Wong / Associated Press")
Eric Benét wasn't good enough for Halle Berry, and he certainly isn't good enough for the music industry.
Despite having recorded three chart-topping songs in the past 12 years, Benét should have known better than to try to make a comeback. Certainly it is a sign that your music career is over when you are better known for being Halle Berry's ex-husband than for being a long-ago platinum recording artist.
The biggest problem with Eric Benét's newest album, "Love & Life," is its inability to adapt to the changes in music that have occurred in the last decade. Generally, Benét sounds like Jesse McCartney, circa 2003, fused with Boyz II Men.
In fact, the general theme of the album is confusion. When Benét isn't impersonating tween pop stars, he seems to be getting in touch with his religious roots in one of the most ironic ways possible.
His song "Love Patience & Time," for example, has an intensely religious, moralistic message, but the very next song, "The Hunger," explains his desire for things I don't feel comfortable putting on paper.
While the musical elements of he album certainly lack finesse, Benét had, at the very least, a chance to express his emotions through his lyrics … a chance he unfortunately failed to seize.
Instead of honesty or poetry, the lyrics instead sound as though they were written by a sexually repressed, angst-ridden 14-year-old. One would think that the average 41-year-old man would have enough life experience to know that telling a woman, "iminluvwichoo" sounds simply ridiculous.
Looking for dating advice? Look no further than Eric Benét. A woman's legs can be many things - but Benét could come up with nothing better than chocolaty.
Despite the album's outdated music, ear-piercing falsettos and corny lyrics, you would think that "Love & Life" must have at least one redeeming quality. The closest thing to a perk is the album's cover - Benét has aged very well. If only looks were everything, the album might actually be worth buying.
With this album, Eric Benét seemed to be intentionally trying to remind his audiences why classic R&B is a thing of the past.
Synthesizers need not be used in music anymore, and you can only say "Ooh baby" so many times in a single song before the lyrics start sounding contrived.
As much as I applaud anyone who can hold onto a fan base long enough to record a fifth album, "Love & Life" is nothing but a sure sign that it's time for Eric Benét to reevaluate his music career. A combination of antiquated music, forced vocals and lyrics that are simply trying too hard, all led to this disappointment. Still, what more can be expected from a man who accepted a part in "Glitter"?
For anyone who doesn't believe me when I say Benét's new album is a travesty, he will be performing at the Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte on Oct. 12.
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