Soul Express CD Review
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MONTELL JORDANMore...(US Def Soul CD, 1996) 1) Non Believers (Interlude) 2) Superlover Man 3) All I Need 4) Tricks On My Mind 5) Falling 6) What's On Tonight 7) I Say Yes (Interlude) 8) I Like - Jordan, Montell & Slick Rick 9) Let Me Be The One 10) Never Alone (Interlude) 11) Never Alone 12) Everything Is Gonna Be Alright 13) Bounce 2 This The pre-release rumor had it that Montell Jordan's second album inclined towards traditional soul, but as the title of the album suggests, here's some mo' swang for those who liked how he did it last year. Thus, the order of the day is a balanced mixture of harmless swingers and stripped-down ballads. So, let's get to the ballads first. The current single Falling is a cute ballad with a delicate electric piano backing, but I have some trouble in adjusting myself to it since the track is basically a remake of - would you believe it - MC Eiht's gloomy soundtrack hit Streiht Up Menace. I guess gangsta soul is what you would call it. I Say Yes, which unfortunately serves here only as an all-too-brief interlude, is a churchy ballad with Fulfillment Community Choir on background vocals. My own favourite is, however, Everything Is Gonna Be Alright, which is a strong beat ballad that inspires Montell to give his fiercest vocal performance. Lovers of swingalong anthems like This Is How We Do It or Somethin' 4 Da Honeyz should be satisfied with I Like, although I myself found it as indifferent as those two earlier hits. The idiotic Bounce 2 This is an even more direct throwback to This Is How We Do It. Somewhat more successful dance tracks are All I Need and Superlover Man, both of which are, in spite of the overused samples, relatively groovy items. However, what makes this album stand out is the fact that Montell is a better vocalist than many of his contemporaries. Knowing this, he can wear his pair of sunglasses with pride. (Rating: 7/10) -Kimmo Heikkinen Albums of the Month in 2008 Albums of the Month in 2007 Albums of the Month in 2006 Albums of the Month in 2005 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 Other CD
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