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If there's anything I wish men would understand it’s that it's okay to express the complete range of their feelings. If you let society tell the story, the only emotions men are supposed to exhibit are anger and aggression. Anything else is viewed as less than manly and isn't desired by the fairer sex. In fact, if you listen closely to many R&B songs sung by men, the lyrics reflect this sentiment. Male artists speaking directly to ladies, with very little subtlety or nuance, of their desires for their physical form is a common refrain. So to hear a male R&B artist sing of the many varied inner thoughts of men is a welcomed reprieve.
Eric Roberson’s “Wind", the second installment in his Earth, Wind, & Fire EP trilogy, explores the complexities and range of emotions men experience in their love lives with vivid description. Opening the album with “Claire", Erro sings of how he grew up admiring Claire Huxtable of The Cosby Show. A woman who was “classy with lawyer's mind", Claire Huxtable is still to this day an unmatched prototype of refinement. However, instead of simply singing about her virtues and how much he wants a woman like her, he begins to touch on how he wonders now as an adult if he has missed out on his own Claire in the midst of chasing other things in life. Realizing the emptiness of following quick thrills, he hopes that love still finds a way to bring Claire to him. Regret.
The sole upbeat track on the album almost serves as a peek inside what may have occurred while he abandoned his dreams of Claire. “Love Her" sings of a woman he could love for just her loving loving alone. She doesn't cook or clean, she's argumentative, and distrustful, yet he'll never ever leave her alone. He KNOWS she's no good, but he's still there. Indulgence.
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The jazzy slow jam “Sky As Green” finds Eric acknowledging his faults and shortcomings, yet optimistically believing there is someone in the world who would still love him. Because, “if there are people who see the sky as green, can find a little nugget buried deep in a stream, maybe there is a girl out there for me, who can look past my dark side and find the goodness in me.” Hope.
The unrequited love he sings about on “If Only" is one I know far too well. Constructing a fantasy love affair that the object of his affection is completely unaware of, he daydreams of how happy they could be together if only their love wasn't make believe. He even questions if he should change who he is to gain her attention.Insecurity.
“God In You” describes all the ways a good woman can make a man feel that go far beyond the physical. To find a woman that makes you feel like the king of the world is an amazing feeling, but Eric takes it a step further. He sings that she makes him feel like she needs his love. For a man, there's no greater feeling than feeling needed. Because if he's not needed, why is he there? A woman who can make you see the goodness of God in her is someone to be cherished. Thankful.
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Closing out the EP is a silky smooth duet with Will Downing called “Lyrics of Pleasure". Only on the last track does he take it to the physical, yet it’s it’s still done in a subtle way. As he sings about having his woman's lips singing lyrics of pleasure as he kisses every inch, it's enough for mom & dad to get the message while the kids remain blissfully oblivious. Besides, how do you think the kids got there in the first place? Love.
A mid-tempo, slow jam driven EP, “Wind” shows that men can and do experience the whole gamut of emotions and can express them with elegant elocution. Moving beyond traditional stereotypes of male emotions, Eric Roberson shows just how good music and men can be if they are open to being their whole selves.
The album is available to stream on all major platforms! Check out the album and leave some comments/feedback on social media or under this post!