The Soul Express Album of the MonthApril 2003 KINDRED THE FAMILY SOUL Hidden Beach, 2003 Kindred the Family Soul are a Philadelphia-based husband-and-wife duo of Fatin Dantzler and Aja Graydon, both of whom are extremely soulful vocalists. What’s more, the backings on this, their debut album, feature a full band with a fantastic brass section; in fact, I can’t think of a better-sounding record made in the past ten years. Where do I start? Last year’s promo single pick Rhythm of Life has an apt title and is a neo-soul anthem in the making. As good as Erykah Badu’s Didn’t Cha Know, Jill Scott’s Long Walk or Julie Dexter’s Love. Aja sounds here like a cross between Jill Scott and Ledisi. The uplifting mid-tempo tune Meant to Be is another personal favourite: it is so catchy it could well lift the album to the top of the charts if released as a single. What a horn arrangement! What a bassline! Far Away is a pleasant midtempo number with superb string flourishes. Weather the Storm is a gorgeous jazzy mid-ballad with an arrangement made in heaven: just check out those bass fills and marvel at the combination of flute, muted trumpet and flugelhorn. Stars is a tender ballad floater; the same description applies to I Am with its subtle percussion. I could describe these cuts as the perfect combination of the 70s-inspired “mahogany soul” of Angie Stone and the jazzy neo-Bartz-ism of Fertile GroundWe is a jazzy spoken-word number featuring poetess Ursula Rucker; it has a hypnotic bassline and a percussive backdrop you’d expect to find on an early-70s Roy Ayers album. There are also two full-blooded funk tracks, Spread the Word and Don’t Wanna Suffer. The former is based on the excellent Afro-tinged funk instrumental River Niger by War and features excellent flute, trombone, and saxophone solos from Damon Bennett, Jeff Bradshaw, Jarrett Miles and Daud El Bakara. The latter is an angry uptempo with J.B.’s-influenced guitar work. Sophisti-soul connoisseurs will be more than satisfied with If I, a first-class jazz-soul floater, and Contentment, an achingly soulful ballad reminiscent of Minnie Riperton’s best 70s offerings. The only track I don’t particularly care for is the opening title cut with its oddly synthetic arrangement. But it is forgiven and forgotten by the time we reach Party’s Over, a groovy R&B tune. It seems my Album of the Year has already arrived. (9) -KH Other 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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