Britain's very own Jane Eugene from Loose Ends pops up and adds her lovely vocals to the excellent summer vibe of "Whether U Know It" which is a personal favourite of mine, complete with the strings, violin solo and warm, warm Fender Rhodes. This is a head-nodding ballad where Val sings in her ordinary and, in my opinion, far superior voice. An excellent example too of sultry Y2K soul and possibly a tune that will be criminally overlooked if not careful. There is the rump-shaking funk of "Soul Shack", complete with funky EW&F type guitars and horns. Lovers of Steve Harvey's work with Impromp2 and The Temptations will adore this. The ESSENTIAL "Flower" features George Duke and Gerald Albright on flute and is just a phenomenal song and one of the jewels in the musical crown. The lazy, slinky jazz feel is sublime and Val's classy vocals are amazing on this. Another future in-demander. For lovers of real instrumentation head straight to the jazzy soul of "Days Like This" which features John Barnes on piano and rhodes, Michael White on drums and Gerald Albright on bass. The evergreen Patrice Rushen joins Val on the chunky plodder, "Alright" which is another one for the Impromp2 lovers out there. Gerald McCauley produces the set, alongside Val. Gerald is one of my favourite producers and has set about this style perfectly, though I do prefer his more soulful ballad-orientated approach. If you have not been aware of this producer then seek out and purchase "The McCauley Sessions" CD from 1999 if you can as it is ESSENTIAL listening. Do not overlook this album.
Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe
The Vibe Scribe
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