The second star
to emerge from the Murder Inc.family, 21 year old Ashanti has been
blowing up the charts with her self-titled debut album. Although
her lead single “Foolish” builds expectations for a more
pop oriented LP, Ashanti tries to balance the radio sound with more
subdued numbers. It’s these tracks which are more appealing.
“Rescue” utilizes an interesting reverse effect and is
just the type of thing to drop while you’re cruising, and “Scared”
and “Movies” establish a similar smoky and minimalist
groove. Uptempo songs like “Baby” and “Leaving”
(a sequel to Ja Rule’s “Always On Time”) are more
generic, but the album does a decent job of switching between the
two flavors.
Ashanti
Ashanti
Remy
Shand
Way I Feel
The authenticity
of vanilla soul has always been questioned. How do you argue? Maybe
the easiest way is to slip a non-believer the cd of Canadian newcomer
Remy Shand. While it isn’t necessarily the resurrection of
soul in a new body entirely, it’s certainly a valid entry in
the neo-soul playbook. Able to tickle the high notes and get funky
on the ivories, Shand delivers an album that offers a round trip
down memory lane. Sure, sometimes you can point to particular songs
and see the artist he was chasing after, but tracks like the first
single “Take A Message”, “The Way I Feel” and
“Burning Bridges” just bubble with sheer enthusiasm and
love for the spirit that you can’t help but dig ‘em. Line
yourself up with the steady bass grooves, squirmy organs and floating
falsetto and take it easy.
Res
How I Do
Now the debut album by
this Philadelphia native isn’t exactly new and some might question
whether it’s even R&B, but it’s been so slept on that
it deserves any attempt to bring it into clearer focus. A jazzy,
innovative and genre blending LP, How I Do showcases an artist comfortable
with putting all of her influences into her music. Tracks such as
“100 Mile Situation” incorporate a dubbed out reggae feel
to them, while others such as the soaring “Golden Boys”
maintain a hip-hop sensibility but evolve into something more wildly
ambitious. The album slows a little in the middle, but after a few
listens the lag will evaporate and a groove will start to settle.
How I Do is R&B & beyond
