This is one of the greatest R&B/soul albums I have ever heard.I could almost leave this posting with just that sentence to express just how good it is. The first song I heard off of this was the single "Full of Smoke", a soulful hustler's anthem that recalls the work of Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield. I bought the CD (it dropped in 1997) and was blown away. Christion, originally from my native Bay Area, were signed to Roc-A-Fella Records, a label which was good at marketing rap acts, but maybe didn't do Christion much justice in that department.
After "Full Of Smoke" and the smoothed-out gangster musings of "Pull It", Christion kicks off the best part of the album with the song "Midnight Ecstasy"..."Welcome home/ unplug the phone/ tonight's the night for me we're all alone/ forget about the bedroom dear/ lay down I'm gonna do you right here..." Just to let you know they mean business, in case you didn't know what this music was designed for! In the same vein, the self-explanatory tracks "Take Off Your Clothes" and "Anything Goes" are also baby-makers.
Christion covers the classic "I Wanna Get Next To You" flawlessly as they segue into the ballad portion of the album. "Bring Back Your Love" is the quintessential please-baby-please song, with one of the guys talking to a woman's answering machine throughout the song, at one point saying "I wish I could climb through this telephone line and kiss your lips". God-damn. "Come To Me" is a masterpiece, plain and simple. "Soon" is easily the crowning glory of the album, with minimalist production and solid vocals.
Every review I have read about this album has been positive, and for good reason. Christion brings to mind classic acts like The Stylistics, Smokey Robinson, and the Dramatics while maintatining their originality. Even minus the vocals, the instrumentation on the album would stand on its own. This is the kind of effort that is lacking in a lot of music these days, particularly in the R&B world. Do yourself a favor and get this album!
No comments:
Post a Comment