Thursday 5 February 2009

Ty Causey - Expressions - Tyvonn Records/ISPYSOUL music

This gentle 12 tracker has been winning acclaim for a while now and its easy to hear why, ‘cos ‘Expressions’ is a lovely, laid back piece of modern soul – absolutely perfect for those special quiet storm moments. Causey’s written and produced the whole thing himself and its clear he knows what kind of material suits his warm, sensual voice. The bulk of the cuts here are all ballads with the most ‘up’ item being the post-intro opener, ‘I Got Love’. The song’s just about mid-tempo with pulsing beats that remind me of the Chucki Booker epic ‘Games’. There’s a similar feel to ‘So Addicted’ while ‘Wishing You Were Mine’ is almost Latin in its lightness, with some lovely flute. Its hard though to pick particular standouts ‘cos album’s like this one are all about an overall feeling rather than big blockbusting moments. That said, the complex ‘Pick Up The Pieces’ demands attention with its lovely piano/vibe instrumental section. Speaking of which, our old mate U-Nam adds his effective Benson-style guitar to ‘Dark Cloud’, but its Mr. C’s vocal and production skills that carry the day. Odd though it might sound, the whole album reminds me of Anita Baker’s early albums - warm, sensual and very intimate, and with 12 tracks, length –wise it’s just right.

Bill Buckley

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