Soul Express CD Review TAVARES: US Ear Candy 2004 Heaven 24/7 - I Owe (Feat Jaye Smooth) - Wind And Rain - You're My Lady - Late Late Show (Feat Jaye Smooth) My first new release purchase for 2005 is another blast from the past! What a lovely surprise when doing my daily check on CD Baby to find this 5 track EP. Actually this is not the combined brothers Tavares as far as I can tell. Chris at Soul Tracks has advised that this set is mainly a Butch Tavares effort, but I really do not care as long as there are enough songs to keep me happy. There are but 5 tracks on this CD and I would say that three would definitely appeal to Soul Express readers, perhaps four at a stretch. The opening song has been lifted a s a single and this is classic quiet storm radio material - as well as classic Tavares material in itself. Back in the early to mid 1980s this would have been a great smash on the crossover front, but as today's R&B market is mainly created by and aimed at morons then such class as this cannot and will not get a fair airing. Perhaps realising this, the inclusion of a rapper on 2 uptempo songs has been made. The first such song is "I Owe" and is actually an infectious, hard groove with strong 80s funk sensibilities. I can hear touches of The Bar-Kays, Cameo or even Prince in this, and the rap isn't too bad either, but I can do without it. The cash register used at the start sounds very very similar to that used on the Christmas classic, "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everday", from Roy Wood & Wizzard!!! I would recommend you plumb for the superb 80s floater, "Wind & Rain", which should satisfy the Quality Time heads out there. My only quibble is that this, and the whole effort is not exactly major label quality, but very much independent sounding. I feel very sad that groups of this calibre have to resort to small backroom efforts when pride of place is given to talentless thugs who SAMPLE classic tracks and use it to further their short-lived careers. It really maddens me. The 80s flavour continues with "You're My Lady" and is another fine moment. These two tracks are not far in mind from the recent, superb, effort from New Birth. The final track, "Late Late Show" is more of a rap effort complete with silly siren noises, and does absolutely nothing for these ears. I am becoming very, very anti-rap in any form and feel passionately that classic artists should not be dabbling in such rubbish - it only legitimises an 'artform' (I try not to laugh hysterically when someone calls rap an art) I find bereft of any talent and originality. I would therefore encourage Tavares and all artists with a brain cell to not resort to this gutter level and instead concentrate on the grown-ups who actually buy their music. Well recommended for "Wind And Rain" and "You're My Lady". Perhaps old dawgs don't need any new tricks after all? They should be trying to teach the young generation that there is more to making a record than sampling, going "uh, uh" "yeah" and "c'mon" and looking like a prat in a silly dance routine wearing a woolly hat! Rant over!!! - Barry Towler 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
reviews |