Enter Marcus Canty.
A favourite on the premiere season of ‘X Factor USA’, the Maryland native may not have won, however still walked away with an Epic record deal with courtesy of on-show mentor LA Reid.
Now, keen to prove himself outside of the TV arena, Canty has served up his first single ‘Won’t Make A Fool Out Of You’. Set to feature on the soundtrack for ‘Think Like A Man’, the cut will also appear on the 21 year old’s album (due later this year).
How does Canty hold up without the X Factor scaffolding? Find out after the jump…
… surprisingly solid!
As with all talent show acts, there runs the lofty risk of being mismanaged or “handed a sound” which neither the artist nor audience believe in.
Yet, with ‘Fool’, LA Reid and Epic seem to have hit a relative homerun. For, the midtempo is the surest of fits for Canty’s creamy baratone and image on the show. Both lyrically and sonically.
The only potential issue with Canty taking on such sound as his own is centres on how he’ll be marketed. Indeed, at 21, he’s arguably too young to be giving the diet-Coke Avant vibe evoked here. And with this brand of R&B struggling to make much of a dent commercially these days, Canty, may want to sprinkle Pop-ier elements on future material. Especially as an act who “needs” to sell to shake off the reality show tag. Longevity is, after all, based on “playing the game”.
Still, a great track.
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Yessssssssssssssssssssss! *screams and faints*
Thank God it’s not pop.
He sounds too much like Mario…. and this song sounds like it was on Mario’s lat album… I hope he dances cuz if not this song might end up being a flop… The only thing that saved Kelly Rowland was the fact that she was dancing… I love R&B but the radio is so shady these days… I hope he finds his own sound, and good luck to him…. I like the song I just dont think its gona be a hit… BTW – he was saaaangin at the end of the song…
I love it!!! R&B is back! Both lyrically and vocally this is the music that I’ve been looking for awhile! I watched Marcus on X-factor and he is just as much a captivating entertainer as he is a vocalist, so I’m pretty sure he will have some great uptempo songs coming up. I can’t wait to see what’s next for him!
He is fine he don t need to go pop leave that for that b**** yall keep promoting you know who I am talking about sam this site is wack as f*** paid for by YMCA lol…
i LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SONG. Finally Finally some new artist did not take the easy route. that is the techno dance, annoying s***. I don’t really know this guy, I know he was dropped form x factor but wow that song is good. Brings me back to usher early years
At last! It took you A DECADE to post about this song, ThatGrapeJuice!!!
Y’all are so infatuated with Rihanna and Nicki, how do you hear about the song just now? It’s crazy!
This is the R’n’B we’ve been waiting for! This is a certified R’n’B singer! After this some established acts need to get their R’n’B certification suspended. For real, they’re lying to us lol.
Nice job, Marcus, you’re THE NEW JOE !!!
Gorgeous. Love the voice and LOVE MARCUS!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!
Why would you say he’s the new Joe? Thats the stamp of death. look at that man’s career now…. smh
I agree with someone above. He sounds a lot like Mario. (Which may hinder him) Kind of equivalent to Dawn sounding too much like brandy. Smooth R&B though! This is a dope track.
DMV stand up its our time eurontay coming soon shout out to marcus.
Sam feminine ass always pants “pop-ier” elements, shut the f*** up b****
Nope this s*** is typical! Computer beat, boring delivery, just the same boring ass R&B from the 00’s!! I want to hear some real got damn instruments! This is why black artist don’t get shine anymore! It’s like we are afraid to make real R&B, but most of y’all young is f***, so anything will please you!!! I say f*** no!!!
I appreciate the fact that he’s staying in his lane. Now, if they want to market him further—a solid r&b track with simpler lyrics would work as well. Good luck to him!
There are too many R&B Males that sound exactly like this. Marcus isn’t versatile enough so I dont see a big career.
If I see one more”real R&B” statement…..uhhh
Clearly you dont know what real R&B actually is. this is considered Contemporary R&B.
Real R&B hasn’t existed since the new jack era of music.
As for the track…meh like everything I’ve heard from think like a man soundtrack so far
Well it can be real again, if a b**** stop being lazy, stop trying to please just the black audience , and make a f****** album!1
@ MEH, Well of course you would say that!! Our music is so boring, non capturing , just plain sucks! Then yet people complain when an white artist like Adele makes soul music!! If black artist would get off this boring ass 2000 s***, not give a f*** about what we as a people would say, and just make an “REAL R&B ALBUM” Then maybe our music would be on top again!! This is new decade. It is time to stop this stupid s*** and get real music back, cuz CB, Rhianna, any of these mainstream b****** are not going to be memorable in 20 years!! Sorry your faves will forever be generic era artist!! Just f****** deal with it!!!!!!!!!
The song is great n he sounds good!!!
I’m glad he remembered that he’s black and didn’t try to come out with some euro-pop trash ditty like a gay white boy.
THis dude is the truth!!! He is a mix of Usher, Trey, Tevin, and Ruben all rolled up in one.
I love how TGJ are pretending to be standing up for r n’b and they even had those “resurrecting r n’ b” posts, but everytime an artist releases an urban song, there come the words “POP” and “SELL” 🙄
This is a good song. If promoted right, it could do well enough on urban radio 🙂
Absolutely refreshing & beautiful vocal – exciting about this artist!!!!!
at least X Factor embraces the Urban market…freaking Idol is all about WGWGs and Country…
Not really my kind of music but I’m not deaf. If doesn’t make at least top 40, something’s wrong.
@ASAP.
I agree. Sam is constantly posting all of these articles, pondering the potential for the resurrection of R&B, and then as soon as a R&B artist releases an R&B song, the first thing he tends to do is doubt it’s commercial appeal and then “suggest” than they do something pop-ier to get shine.
TGJ likes to front, but is actually part of the problem, not the solution.
Marcus sound really good. Love the song!
SO, basically youre saying that he needs to fake his soul to sell records to white people? O. ok. What the f*** is going on with the world?
Nice song and Marcus got that strong tone.
The wrong thing with R&B is when artists conform to the “pop it up abit” concept.
It only works for a few and the genre needs a strong movement.
Commercial sounds are fine as long as the core genre sound is kept and that’s what hasn’t been done so much.
Looking forward to more from him
Yes!! I love it!! This is real R&B. The song has substance. Good Job L.A.! The R&B genre needs to return to this type of R&B NOT R&B Pop.
Music is all about variety not everything has to be pop. If you love/like this song, support it (I plan to). This is the only way the music industry will realize that ppl want more than just R&B Pop music from R&B artists. You don’t see many Rock and Country artists doing pop, if any. R&B artists should not have to step away from their R&B roots in order to remain relevant in music.
Wishing you the best Marcus!