Way Back: Transition (2009)

“Oh we gettin’ it right this time”

-Ryan Leslie on “Zodiac”

Ryan Leslie released Transition on November 3, 2009.

As his second album in less than a year, it was meant to mark a new chapter in his journey. Much of his self-titled debut was dated material by the time of its release, so fans of the singer/producer were eager to get new material that hadn’t been teased and passed around the internet for the better part of two years.

Transition was the new work, and it did exactly what the title suggested. From this point forward, Leslie would slowly transition from a strictly R&B act to one that would explore rapping on a far more consistent basis. Leslie would never abandon R&B completely, but it was always the bounce in his production that set his music apart.

Ryan isn’t the strongest vocalist, but what made his music special was the attention he gave to both the songwriting and production, two tasks that he handled entirely save for a guest verse from Pusha T.

The album spawned two music videos for the tracks “Zodiac” and “You’re Not My Girl”. “Zodiac” was a minimalist one shot video that really symbolized where the medium was headed. “You’re Not My Girl” was more traditional, with Ryan performing the track with a group of dancers in some futuristic lighting over a green screen.

These two tracks are some of the albums more upbeat efforts. The former prioritizing an acoustic drum and guitar attack, while the latter has a sound from the 80’s. They help to provide the project with range, and show that Ryan is comfortable with any tempo of R&B.

“Is It Real Love?” never earned am official music video, but it got some promo through a short piece sponsored by Adidas. It would’ve been the logical next single as it was one of the more well-rounded efforts on Transition. Backed by guitars and flutes, Leslie shows off some of his best work on the keyboard, drums, and mic.

The deluxe edition of the album would feature “Rescue U” and “Promise Not 2 Call”, two more tracks that were more than 2 years old by the time Transition was released.

While Transition was nominated for ‘Best Contemporary R&B album’ at the 2011 Grammy’s, Leslie’s career would change drastically from this point. He really took to rapping on his future projects and ultimately transitioned out of the music industry entirely. In recent years he’s opted for entrepreneurship via SuperPhone. The service helps artists to earn direct pay for their record sales. It’s good to know that Leslie’s genius found a place in music that would continue to help other musicians going forward. Maybe that’s the alternate reading this title intended. 

Ryan Leslie never got the proper acclaim and recognition he deserved, but he did handcraft a great R&B album before the genre took a big sonic shift. Play Transition today to hear an unsung crooner at the top of his game.