Dedicated
to the soul artists of the 70's this album comes hot on the
heels of the debut set 'Labour of Love' and is picked up for
release by the relatively new UK indie label, Soulchoonz
Records. Out Of Illinois, Ward Brown's mission is to remind us
of what soul music is all about and that he does in some style
with this extremely strong set. Opening with the mid tempo
'You touched my heart' the album continues to mix smooth soul,
elements of light funk and even melodic jazz into a
distinctive laid back groove. No where is that
better illustrated than in the track 'Your Contagious' with
its subtle piano break. Even when things get a little more uptempo
with the harder latin style 'Me Around' Ward maintains a
calculated and measured approach which is all about
restrained yet real soul. Stand out track has to be the slow
jam 'Rain'. From the moment that you hear the acoustic guitar
you just know that this will be one of the highlights of the
year. Vocally reminiscent of those 70's soul gods and yet very
modern in feel this is one for those in love and if you are
yet to find the right person then this music will make you
wish that you already had!
Sadly, the album contains some
remixes of tracks from the debut set to conclude and I for one
would have preferred it if Ward had left them out of this set
altogether, but that is small criticism for a set that
is a fitting tribute to the soul of the past and more equally
puts down a footprint for the standard for soul of the
future.
