Soul Express Album Review  Buy this album from our CD ShopMAYLYN MURPHY: Body & Soul (US New Ground Records, 2006) 1) Come Back To Me 2) Love Will Keep Us 3) You & I 4) Move On 5) Call Me Crazy 6) Without You 7) Dream Come True 8) All I Can Do 9) Body & Soul 10) Be Free 11) Did You Fall 12) My Goodbye Maylyn Murphy is a great new talent who has her CD for all to hear at CD Baby. What a smooth voice that she has, what a great set of songs she has penned, and includes a real KILLER. I feel that there may be the rookie’s lack of authority in what she currently does, but I always find that it is the roughest of diamonds that often come to shine the brightest. The album is a highly listenable balance between the uptempo bubbler and the bedroom ballad, but with a great deal of intelligence, sensitivity and aforethought than most. Listening to the lyrics on tracks such as my favourite cut, "Love Will Keep Us", it is obvious that what this young Lady does comes from the heart, from the soul as well as the brain. I feel this Lady is gifted and that we should expect more greatness from her in the years to come. The aforementioned song is one of my Autumn 2006 selections and its richness and seductiveness outweighs the fact that it is criminally short at 2 minutes 40! Miss this song and you’ll regret it. After a few spins I really warmed to the wholesome and traditional "You & I". Not Maylyn’s greatest performance at the start, but once the chorus kicks in she really belts it out nicely. This is the confidence I want to hear more of – it's definitely there and shines through to superb effect in places. The pensive, moody and thoughtful "Move On" is a perfectly pitched downtempo effort that also has a keen radio appeal. This track could be a hit if played on the right sort of stations – here’s hoping! I prefer the rootsier and chunkier vibe of "Call Me Crazy"; the type of groove that we would expect to be produced by Kloud 9 or similar. This song will definitely do the business for many readers, and so will the open and fresh "Without You" which is a very strong cut featuring some really lovely vocals and melody. It is on tracks like this that I get really excited; new and original soul music with intelligence! Major labels need not apply! LOL. The piano led "Body And Soul" is as atmospheric as you could wish for, and Maylyn is strong and strident atop this. She entices us into a soulful swayer with luxuriant and intricate backdrops that really do her credit. Her vocal prowess is really proved here and I get echoes of Rhonda Clark’s nuance here. So, this is also a must-listen track. If a song could break into a smile, one such song would be the jubilant "Be Free". This is a testiment from a young Lady who knows her mind and has realised that her boundaries are really unlimited. If only more people wake up to this fact then the world would be a better place. This is her gift, I think – listen and soak this up. It’s a strong, happy and unapologetically positive song. Empowering and inspiring is probably a worthy description too. There is nothing on here really that would make you want to skip a track. That’s a rare thing nowadays, so its good when we get a chance to sit down for more than 5 minutes without having to search for the remote control! Please check this out on CD Baby – I think you will love it. - 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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