Rhythm Matters: Summer R&B

By Mark Anthony Neal
SeeingBlack.com Music Critic

Talk about R&B music here!

In the midst of what journalist and activist Davey D calls the "clear channeling" of America, it is increasingly difficult to find popular music on mainstream radio and video outlets that reflects anything but what the Clear Channels and Radio Ones of the world think we want to hear—and what record labels pay those companies and others (in one way or another) to play on their stations. Alas, in this environment, some of the best contemporary R&B recorded over the last five years simply hasn't been heard by R&B fans. With this exclusionary environment in mind, here's a quick guide to recent R&B releases—from both indie and major labels—that's below the radar of your local "Classic Soul and Smooth R&B station".

Mint Condition—Living the Luxury Brown (Caged Bird Records)

When Mint Condition, a quartet of six musicians from Minneapolis, first emerged in 1991 with their debut Meant to Be Mint, they were quickly regarded as the cutting edge of mainstream R&B. Despite the fact that Mint Condition recorded some of the best R&B during the past 15 years, with recordings such as From the Mint Factory (1993) and Definition of a Band (1996), and though their lead vocalist Stokley is on the short list of the best vocalists of the 1990s, the group never caught on to most R&B listeners. Ironically the group was laying the contours of the so-called neo-Soul movement years before neo-Soul was viewed as the savior of contemporary R&B. Six years after the largely ignored Life's Aquarium, Mint Condition returns with Livin' the Luxury Brown, released on their own label Caged Bird Records. Now a quintet—Keri Lewis (Mr. Toni Braxton) departed the group amicably—Mint Condition is back in form throughout Living the Luxury Brown. Though the new recording lacks a signature ballad on the level of "Pretty Brown Eyes" (1991), "If You Love Me" (1999), or their classic "What Kind of Man Can I Be," Livin' the Luxury Brown has its moments. Standouts include "Sad Girl," the breezy "Look Whatchu Done for Me," and the lead single "I'm Ready."

Lina—The Inner Beauty Movement (Hidden Beach)

For every so-called neo-Soul artist such as Maxwell, D'Angelo and Jill Scott, there was an Amel Larrieux, Bilal and Jaguar Wright that never really received the attention or airplay that they deserved. Such was the case with Lina's debut album Stranger on Earth released during the summer of 2001. Fortunately, Lina possessed a quirky sound that earned her a small cult of devoted fans, who appreciated her riff off the "Atomic Soul" groove that Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band mined in the mid-1970s. Whereas Dr. Buzzard re-introduced Swing with a Disco flair with classic tracks "I Play the Fool" and "Cherchez la Femme," Lina and her producers Jeeve and Travis House did the same for the hip-hop era with tracks like "It's All Right" and "Playa no Mo." Lina returns with a new recording, a new label and a new chance to garner the attention that alluded her four years ago. Though Lina's sound begins to sound gimmicky on tracks like "My Fixx," "Fly" and on the ballad "It Could Be Me," many of the songs that break from the formula, such as "Smooth" and "I Am," are, in fact, the best evidence of her talents. She is joined by Anthony Hamilton on the ballad "Around the World."

Jaguar Wright—Divorcing Neo 2 Marry Soul (Artemis)

It was Jaguar Wright's misfortune that her debut, Denials, Delusions, and Decisions, was released just as the neo-Soul gravy train was grinding to a halt. Truth be told Wright never really fit the neo-Soul script, something that her label at the time never quite wrapped her head around. Wright's vocals were ragged with the kind of emotion last heard in these parts via the likes of Betty Wright (no relation) and Millie Jackson. The title of Wright's new recording—Divorcing the Neo 2 Marry Soul—suggests that she has finally made a recording that speaks to her grittier sensibilities. Tracks like "Play the Field" and "Free" sound like they could have been recorded at Muscle Shoals (Fame Sound Studio) 25 years ago, so it should not be surprising that Wright would dare to take on a remake of Shirley Brown's "Woman to Woman," a song that brought the drama of infidelity to Soul and R&B audiences when R. Kelly was still in kindergarten. By far though, the best track on Divorcing Neo 2 Marry Soul is "Do Your Worst"—a nearly 12-minute performance of anger, betrayal, and murderous rage that recalls Lonette McKee's heartbreaking rendition of Van McCoy's "Giving Up" in the film Sparkle (1976).

Faith Evans—The First Lady (Capitol)

Faith Evans has always been in the shadow of Mary J. Blige and too often betrayed by material deemed appropriate by the Puffinator. Liberated from Bad Boy land, Faith Evans has recorded what is simply her most accomplished recording. On the lead single "Again," Ivan Barias and Carvin Haggins (lately of A Touch of Jazz Productions) provide Evans with some Motown-era pop candy, in some way living up to the regality that the disc's title suggest. The duo continues their winning on tracks like "Stop and Go,", "Get Over You," and the cutesy "Jealous," which samples Los Angeles Negroes' "Esta noche la paso contigo" (1975). The First Lady looses much of its glow when Barias and Haggins aren't in the room—Pharrell's "Goin' Out" is easily the worst track—the one exception being "Mesmerized." Produced by Chucky Thompson, Andre Johnson and Todd Russaw (Faith's husband), with a funky rhythm guitar style jacked from George Benson, "Mesmerized" might be the strongest track ever recorded by Evans. The first lady of R&B? More like Lynn Collins reborn.

Carmen Rodgers—Free (ABMG/Expansion Records)

While many of us profess our love for the indie world of neo-Soul, Nu-Soul or whatever label we're attaching to it, the reality is that many of these artists—no matter how good their music sounds while we're waiting for the open mic performance at the local Afro-Boho spot—are somewhat flawed. The major labels might not be interested in promoting R&B artists who don't have some kind of affiliation with a hip-hop crew, but give them some credit for at least being able to identify talent—such as Carmen Rodgers. On her indie debut Free, Rodgers manages to neither pander to Soul music's past, nor to genuflect the fleeting rhythms of contemporary R&B. There is much to like about Free, including "Missing You" and "Fallen," but the real gem of the disc is Rodgers' remake of the Captain and Tennille's "The Way (I Want to Touch)."

— July 1, 2005

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