Soul Express Album of the Month - March 2005
 Buy this album from our CD ShopJANITA – Seasons of Life (Ofir Music, 2005) No Words - I Miss You - That's How Life Goes - More Than Fantasy - Let Me Love You - Bear With Me - I Only Want You - I Can't Get Enough Of You - Too Late - Seasons Of Life As you are well aware, especially today, beauty and talent are rarely connected and it needn't be anyway, but this lovely Lady sure does mix the two perfectly and that is really something refreshing. We all know and love this beautiful lady from her must-have 2001 CD, "I'll Be Fine", and in many ways this album is a smooth and natural progression from that album. If you adored tracks such as "Angel Eyes" as much as I then you will immediately want to add this to your collection straight away. I would say that this was a more smoother set and brims with warm, acoustic Latin sounds and sultry, sexy vocals. I can see why some scribes make likeness with Sade, but for my money if I were to go by that alone I would not have listened to Janita as I simply do not appreciate Sade as a singer. However, I adore Janita and am pleased that I am not in ignorance of her music. This is a solid, well-rounded intelligent 10 track CD that will find a home in both soul and jazz lover's collections. The instrumentation is real, the vocals are strong and the lyrics considered, pertinent and very more-ish. I love every single track and therefore recommend the entire album without falter or hesitation. I do have two standouts that I would like to enthuse upon, the first being the classy "That's How Life Goes". A gorgeous early 80s Latin sounding effort complete with haunting melodies and velvety backing vocals. This is summer condensed into four minutes and twenty-six seconds! There are certain records, as you will know, that instantly hit you in the "wow!" section of the brain and the soul, and such a track for me is the KILLER "I Only Want You" which is a song I want to take into the afterlife with me. It's too good to be buried, I assure you! This slinky jazzy soul masterpiece has touches of genius and is atmospheric beyond belief. I love Janita's gentle whimsicality in the anguished face of losing her lover to another. As we all know this is not always an easy thing to deal with: "I wish you eternal bliss, a long and beautiful life, nosy kids and an ugly wife... but seriously I wish you well" she muses almost absent mindedly, as an aside in more definite terms she states "I only want you". This type of song and delivery is something rare and special in an artist nowadays and this we find in abundance within "Seasons Of Life". The title song, also, I must recommend for its grace and charm. I don't think that I could ever tire or bore of this Lady and her music. This album came as a bolt out of the blue and a real nice surprise it is too. I really think that this will be in my top albums of 2005, and we are only in February! Highly recommended for all tracks. - Barry Towler All Soul Express Albums of the Month in 2005 The Soul Express 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 |