Soul Express Album Review DARNELL LEVINE We Gon Use What We Got (US Hand2chest Music, 2006) 1) Micheck 2) Use What We Got 3) You Can't Grow 4) First Impressions 5) Kiss Yourself For Me 6) Try Him 7) Table 42 (A Monday Night) 8) Married Now 9) Decided Not To)))(Intermission) 10) Just The Way You Are 11) Nothin' Like Friends 12) Alphabet Soup 13) You Don't Care 14) Breakthrough 15) Married Now (Just Us 2) Darnell Levine was highly recommended to me by Tim Dillinger who said that he really felt what the guy was doing. High praise indeed. I checked this album out and although it was not on first listening 100% my cup of tea it is well worth a purchase. It is intelligent and one can hear the talent brimming over in the lyrics, the arrangements and presentation. Vocally I hear Jeff Perry in places, othertimes I hear the phrasing of Larry Blackmon, and musically I hear Van Hunt, Maxwell and Rahsaan Patterson. Musical arrangements are quite clever and quite stark in places. I love the funky hip-hoppiness of the title song. On first listen my ears were not sure what to make of it. It is more of a challenge but well worth getting into. The loping, strong beat is reminisce of Missy Elliot's work. There is a quirkiness to it that not many artists can pull off. I remember a jazz set by an artists called Foley back in the 90s. To me he tried to do something clever. Frankly, it was a mess. This is altogether different. The title song has so much going on that it is great fun just sat soaking it up. The handclapping beat, the quirky, skilful, piano and Perry-ish vocals are just superb. The flow is jazzy, soulful and very 2006 all in the same breath. Levine proves that he is a serious talent and as a debut album its refreshing. He is skilled enough and has the balls to play with music and drop asides that many veterans in the business wouldn't dare or be able to achieve. The following track is fantastic – it reminds me of Donnie and Ty Stephens all in one go. The instruments are real, the singing is spot on and the playful, tongue in cheek tap dance sounding break works very well too. This is such a classy track it hurts. I can definitely see why Tim was really feeling this album. Darnell has a definite form of storytelling which works very well. On “First Impression” - a quirky and step-to-the-left duet – you really get the feeling that both singers are talking directly to you. It's a piece of self-indulgent songwriting which really does get into the nitty gritty of attraction. Again, there is some fun on here where the two interchange some wacky scat atop a bright, jazzy beat. There is real joy to be heard from this pairing, though I really don't know who the vocalist is – needless to say fans of Erykah Badu should be impressed. “Kiss Yourself For Me” has a lovely gentle mid 1980s feel to it. The piano and soft drums are warm and inviting and hark back to 1983 / 1984 a la Rodney Franklin. Wonderful. I like the warm jazziness of “Table 42 (A Monday Night)” which has a toned down more gentle Scheme type sound, metered out with aloof Larry Blackmon styled half spoken vocals. Listening to this shows us how the man looks at life from many different angles. These are love songs from a new perspective. The only other artists I know who pull this off well are Remy Shand and Ty Stephens. Praise indeed! My favourite track is the FANTASTIC 70s styled ballad “Married Now”. IU defy anyone not to love this track. The warm keys and gentle vibe are to die for. It is a meandering, wonderstruck foray into the realisations of realising what married life means. You can almost share the excitement along with the boyish naivety. Raul Midon is a definite comparison when addressing “Decided Not To” which is a rather nice intermission before his version of Billy Joel's “Just The Way You Are”. This is handled nicely and in his own way, but I fear I'll never be won over from both Joel or Barry White. If you are looking for something different with a lot of intelligence, soul and jazz with its tongue firmly in cheek then this is the set for you. Most music is not demanding; it goes in one ear and out the other... this is not the case at all. Sit back and let the tastebuds in your ears savour all that is Darnell Levine. This soul food is tasty, rich and worth a nibble. It may not be to everyone's taste but please suck it and see! Do not overlook. - Barry Towler Other CD Reviews Albums of the Month in 2006 Albums of the Month in 2005 Albums of the Month in 2004 Albums of the Month in 2003 Albums of the Month in 2002 Albums of the Month in 2001 Albums of the Month in 2000 Albums of the Month in 1999 Albums of the Month in 1998 Albums of the Month in 1997 Other CD
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