Soul Express CD ReviewSTEPHANIE MILLSSomething Real
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1) Never Do You Wrong 2) All Day All Night 3) Somewhere In This Broken Heart 4) Stone Cold Woman 5) Love The Hurt Away 6) Heartache 7) Policy Of Love 8) I Found A New Love 9) All In How Much We Give 10) Twenty Four Hour Woman 11) Never Gonna Give You Up 12) I Just Want Love Produced by Steve Barri, Tony Peluso, Vassal Benford, D. Lawrence, Rodney Barber, Stephanie Mills, Kenny Harris, Dave "Jam" Hall Knowing that nearly all the quality major albums concentrating on ballads flopped on the charts last year, it was probably the right move for Stephanie Mills to make an album dominated by hard hitting uptempo tracks. Still the album is by no means a disappointment, for, in fact, the mid-to-uptempo movers on this album are not only much better than the clichéd swingbeat dancers on her last two albums, but definitely one of the best club tracks Stephanie has ever put on record. The album kicks off with three excellent club tracks. The infectious opener, Never Do You Wrong samples George Benson's Give Me the Night over a chugging rhythm, whereas All Day, All Night with its heavy rhythm, most memorable chorus and some tasty sax soloing by Gerald Albright was the ideal choice for a single. Somewhere in This Broken Heart is a warm and melodic midtempo floater that gives room for Stephanie's smouldering soul vocalising. Heartache has a smooth and polished arrengement highlighted by Dave Koz's saxophone. A couple of more unexceptional midtempos follow, one of which is spoilt by an intrusion of a rock style guitarist. But then we have the four ballads, and only one of them (All in How Much We Give from the film Tom and Jerry) falls below average. Never Gonna Give You up and Stone Cold Woman are beautifully sung, soft and sweet soul tunes, but the real winner is 24 Hour Woman, a delicious mid-paced ballad with a swinging backing over which Stephanie excells vocally - without a doubt the best vocal performance on the album.
So there's no reason to avoid this album just because it's not a straight ballad set.
(Rating 8/10) |
