Adina Marie Howard (born November 14, 1974) is an American R&B, pop, and hi… Read Full Bio ↴Adina Marie Howard (born November 14, 1974) is an American R&B, pop, and hip-hop singer-songwriter from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her debut album Do You Wanna Ride?, with the hit single "Freak Like Me", was released in 1995 and achieved high sales figures. The album's first single, as well as Howard's image, can be described as hyper-sexual; her debut album helped to open the doors for female rap artists to incorporate sexually explicit material into their works in the future. Howard's second studio album, Welcome to Fantasy Island, garnered critical raves, but was shelved by Elektra Records before its intended release in July 1997. Following years of being unofficially released, Howard announced that her second album would arrive on streaming services in February 2021.

In 2003, news of her third album hit with various album title changes throughout the year from Ride Again: 7/2 to Two Can Play That Game. During this year, Howard also starred in an an independent film called Casanova's Demise co-starring Greg Horos.

In 2004, Howard officially released her third album, The Second Coming, under Rufftown Records. With the distribution label and the record label in conflict, the album suffered without much publicity — it was mostly limited to the music video for "Nasty Grind" playing on BET during early morning hours. Despite the lack of publicity, it sold over 40,000 copies.

In 2005, Howard intended to release The Second Coming: Remixed but that project was shelved to make way for a new full-length album, Private Show. Along with a new album, Howard worked with Walid Azami to bring documentaries for her fansite. This was an attempt to explain her side of the story and show her fans how the album was made.

The promo single, "Phone Sex", was released in September 2006. After some delays, Howard's third album was released on June 27, 2007 with the lead single, "L.O.V.A." It managed to peak #17 on iTunes R&B music sales chart. However, the album missed the Billboard 200 and R&B Albums chart altogether; overall, it sold only a few thousand copies. Shortly thereafter, Howard and Arsenal Records parted ways. On September 25, 2009, an independent compilation, "Independent Soul Divas 2" was issued on Lola Waxx Records. This compilation features "What Do I Do", a song recorded by Howard in 2008. The version included on the compilation is different from the version originally featured on her official MySpace profile.

According to Howard's official website, in addition to getting married, she went back to school to study culinary arts, and she is in the early stages of creating a possible fourth studio album.

That Man
Adina Howard Lyrics

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That Man

No man is perfect in this world but I feel he's
The perfect man for this girl, yea
Said he loves me he feeds my soul when it's empty
He even puts his foot down when I try to cross the line, yea

Chorus:

That man (Picks me up when I'm down)
That man (I always want him around)
That man (It's obvious when he looks at me)
That man (He really loves me)

He may get jealous sometimes but I do too
You should see him my man is so fine
He's always got the right words to say
He's never let me down one day
And even if things got bad
He would stand up and be a man

Chorus:
That man (Picks me up when I'm down)
That man (I always want him around)
That man (It's obvious when he looks at me)
That man (He really loves me)

You're my king
And I'm your queen
I'll make sure that you know
My love will always grow

Chorus:
That man (Picks me up when I'm down)
That man (I always want him around)

That man (Its obvious when he looks at me)
That man (He really loves me)

Overall Meaning

In Adina Howard's song That Man, she talks about her perfect man who is the perfect match for her. She makes it clear that no man is perfect, but she feels he is the perfect man for her. Although he’s not perfect, he is the ideal man for her. She says that he makes her feel loved, feeds her soul when it’s empty, and even puts his foot down when she tries to cross the line, which shows that he is not afraid to take control in the relationship.

The chorus of the song, where Adina Howard repeats "That man" several times, stresses that her man is always there for her. He picks her up when she’s down and she always wants him around. It’s obvious that he loves her when he looks at her. She repeats that she really loves him too. She points out that he gets jealous sometimes, but she does too. She is equally taken with him and is in awe of his looks and his ability to always say the right words to her.

Adina Howard calls her man her king, and she’s his queen. She wants him to know that her love will always grow for him. The song is an ode to the perfect match, a love that’s solid and dependable. The lyrics in That Man will resonate with anyone who has found their perfect soulmate.

Line by Line Meaning

No man is perfect in this world but I feel he's
Acknowledging that there is no perfect man in this world but feeling he is perfect for her

The perfect man for this girl, yea
Declaring that he is perfect for her

Said he loves me he feeds my soul when it's empty
Expressing how he loves and nurtures her

He even puts his foot down when I try to cross the line, yea
Acknowledging how he sets boundaries for her when she needs it

That man (Picks me up when I'm down)
Describing how he supports her when she's feeling low

That man (I always want him around)
Expressing how she always wants him in her life

That man (It's obvious when he looks at me)
Indicating that his love is palpable when he looks at her

That man (He really loves me)
Stating how much he loves her

He may get jealous sometimes but I do too
Admitting how they both get jealous sometimes

You should see him my man is so fine
Boasting about how attractive her man is

He's always got the right words to say
Pointing out how he always knows just what to say