MAIN INGREDIENT
PURE MAGIC (US Magnatar 2001)
1) I'll Do for You 2) Will You
Marry Me 3) I Love You (The Letter) 4) Our
Business 5) We Got Us 6) Why Should I 7) It's
Alright 8) The Dance 9) Magic 10) By Any Means
Necessary 11) How Long 12) Won't Let You Do That
to Me
The most positive surprise of the year must be
the new album by Main Ingredient,
aptly entitled Pure Magic.
Not only am I glad that the group is back after a
long hiatus (their previous album I Just
Wanna Love You was released 12 years ago in
1989), but the best thing is that the new album
is full of new soul-stirring songs. Cuba
Gooding has been replaced by a new lead
vocalist, indie soul veteran Carlton
Blount, whose vocals are rootsy and
soulful in the extreme. The other two members are
original members of the group, Tony
Sylvester and Luther Simmons.
I'm not sure whether all the old fans of the
group are delighted since the overall style of
the group has been changed considerably after
Blount has become the new lead singer. However,
I'm certainly not complaining when Carlton Blount
has the kind of rasping voice that would make Three
Times a Lady sound soulful.
My absolute favourite on the album is the track
titled Why Should I, which is an
ultimate grower tune of the year with a classic,
haunting chorus line and Carlton showing the
grittiest side of his stunning vocalising while
delivering the painstakingly bitter lyrics -
listen to the closing moments when Carlton starts
adlibbing over the chorus line which goes
"why should I dry my eyes, when the tears
just keep on falling...". An instant
soul classic and one of the prime tracks of the
year.
The rest of the album is full of good old-time
soul songs, too. Will You Marry Me is a
majestetic soul ballad that would be ideal for a
traditional soul group like Dells.
The same could be said of the mid-creeper titled How
Long - a classic pleading soul song ("I
get down on my knees..." etc). Even
deeper is, though, the atmospheric beat ballad
I Love You (The Letter), which has a melody
line that simply demands for soulful
interpretation, and Carlton's delivery virtually
defines what soul singing is all about.
If I had to pinpoint a weakness on the album, it
is the fact that the background instrumentation
relies on programmed beats and 80s type synth
sounds, which are only coloured by a touch of
guitar and additional keys. Still, the backings
definitely do not ruin any of the gorgeous
ballads on offer. Instead, the synths come more
to the front on the upbeat tracks like It's
Alright and The Dance, which may
sound rather dated to anyone who don't really
like the 80s type synth funk sounds. Admittedly,
I have nothing against even the heavy, Fatback-ish
groove like The Dance, although I can
easily guess it does not appeal to many of our
readers.
Luckily, the album closes with one of the most
stimulating uptempo tunes of the year, I
Won't Let You Do That to Me, which is an
alluring old-time uptempo soul song with a catchy
melody with that classic, magical "feel-good
factor" that is instantly palpable on this
delightful tune. The real star of the song is the
lovely soprano voice that belongs to the guest
vocalist named Natasha C. Coward.
Thus, the album probably finds most fans among
those soul enthusiast who were
"converted" into soul music in the 80s
or late 70s, but who have grown to love deeper,
traditional soul in the J. Blackfoot
mould as well. In my book, this is the best album
by any soul vocal group since the III
frum the Soul album from 1998. - IT
