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Yolanda Adams
Day By Day
Elektra Records
That beautiful voice... she could sing the phone book and it would sound wonderful. Talking about Yolanda Adams, one of Gospel's
most popular songbirds. Her latest CD, just released August 30, is at once inspirational and magnificent. The opening track,
"Be Blessed," turns up the heat right off the bat, as Adams climbs a ladder of lofty notes that are powerful yet
sweet. No wonder this track received airplay on Gospel and urban AC. By the way, it was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
A hot track, laced with stoic strings and a boisterous beat, is "Victory," so strong in the vein of a foot-stomping
Kirk Franklin cut. Speaking of Franklin, he worked with Adams on "Tonight" and "Show Me." On the gentler
side is "Alwaysness," another Jam and Lewis track, this one a free flowing float on the river of God's eternal presence.
The hits keep coming... "Someone Watching Over You," produced by Gordon Chambers, was recently the most added at
urban AC. On top of all this wonderful music from Adams, she is joined by another one of Gospel's most magnificent talents
on "Lift Him Up" - Donnie McClurkin. They are so fabulous together! Also on "Day By Day," Adams' seventh
album - the renowned Warren Campbell, and, popular producer Mike City. Whether or not you are into Gospel, this is an amazing
album by an amazing talent. Watch for Adams' "Yolanda Today" tour in October, which will feature Eddie Levert, Chaka
Khan, Kirk Franklin, Ruben Studdard and Mary Mary along the way. The tour kicks off in Houston on October 4 and wraps in Miami
on November 16.
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Dwele
Some Kinda...
Virgin Records
Dwele is what I'm gonna call a new age R&B singer. While there are traces of Marvin, Eric Benet and other old school vibes
on his sophomore effort on Virgin, he also incorporates hip hop and that "undefined" neo soul people are placed
in when writers don't know what else to call them (smile). In stores, October 4, "Some Kinda..." is a nice listen,
from the horn-infected, sun-drenched "A Pimp's Dream" to the hit single "I Think I Love U," Dwele's 13-track
set is pleasant to ears tired of the production-pushed, talent-challenged artists the majors are releasing. A cool, cruisin'
cut is "Know Your Name," which is embellished with acoustics rather than a heavy bass. That's the magic of a lot
of the material on "Some Kinda..." - Dwele layers his tracks with different instrumentation... horns, strings, a
gentle guitar, and they don't override his vocals. This is what made '70s and '80s music so full... the artists had real people
playing real instruments! A lot of the tracks are potential hits, many of them that could ride urban or urban AC, such as
"Know Your Name," the tré-cool "Old Lovas" or one of my personal favorites, the sultry, slow jammin' "Weekend
Love." Another sweet session for Quiet Storm or middays is the lovely and luxurious "Lay It Down," simply a
beautiful, well-layered slow jam. Hey, Dwele may even cross over into smooth jazz with the melancholy "Wake The Baby,"
featuring smooth jazz icon Boney James. Check out Dwele in Star Potential (click on page to the left) to find out how together
this brother's head is - it's no wonder his album is so good!
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LaToya London
Love & Life
Peak Records
LaToya London was one of the final five during "American Idol" in 2004, which Fantasia won. I remember her being
so elegant, while her voice had so much substance and class. Although her new CD features a bevy of top-notch producers (Narada
Michael Walden, Barry Eastmond), it lacks that one song that would catapult her to the top of the charts. The debut single,
"Appreciate," hit some radio play lists, but it fell through the cracks for some reason, maybe because people were
expecting her to come out with a track that would showcase the shimmering yet potent voice we heard on "American Idol."
There is pretty good material on "Love & Life," such as "Learn To Breathe," which brings out the strength,
substance and range of her voice. These are things that are so lacking in most of today's contemporary female so-called singers.
A nice urban AC track is "State of My Heart," which has a sweeping hook, and it's no wonder it has such appeal...
it was co-written by the some of the best in the business, David Foster, Carol Bayer Sager and Linda Thompson. "Practice
Makes Perfect" has an effervescent quality with a bouncy beat, mellifluous hook and bubbly nature. It just sounds like
she really loves the track and is having fun with it. The ballads, such as "Meet Me Halfway" and "I Can't Hide
What's In My Heart," are sweet, but they lack the power punch that could make her a household name. Bottom line, it's
a pretty good CD overall. I just expected more.
See more photos and read the Starpoynt interview with LaToya London by clicking Star Potential on the far left top.
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