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For anyone who has been wanting to hear a new Stevie Wonder album, here it is. Yes, the brutha goes by the name of Donnie but if you didn't know better you would think he was Stevie; straight out of the "Music In My Mind," "Talking Book," "Innervisions" era. This is not to say that Donnie does not have his own vision. He has a good voice, not quite as strong as Stevie's but you could not help but notice how he "borrows" Stevie's style on this record. This is not neccessarily a bad thing. I have always thought that if you gonna bite off of someone, bite off the best.
Donnie, a Kentucky native who was raised in Atalanta, is part of the Atlanta neo-soul scene. India Aire was instrumental in getting him his record deal. Yes, he is on Motown records, like you know who. He has the usual credentials of soul singers. His parents are both ministers and he spent a lot of time in the church. What sets him apart from all the other singers is that he has it in his blood. He is a cousin of the late great Marvin Gaye. So with all these ingredients going for him, you know this album could not be bad and it's not.
Since so much will be written about Donnie's similarities to those who came before him, I will take a moment to highlight the differences. You don't have to look far to notice that, in fact you can start by seeing the name of the record and checking some of the song titles, namely "Big Black Buck." Somebody has a sense of humor, something that soul singers rarely display.
The song "Beautiful Me," uses a jittery loop and has a nice groove even though the melody sounds suspiciously like D'Angelo's "Devil's Pie." Oh yes, he quotes Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come.""Heaven Sent," is a standout cut and moves along the lines of Stevie's "Golden Lady." Donnie's voice is very pleasing on this cut and you can't help but nod your head to this as it glides along employing a nice flute solo as well. Brutha Donnie sings with passion and conviction here. "Do You Know," also has a quasi-samba (with flute) feel to it and it is really refreshing to hear. "Turn Around," uses a keyboard sounding like Stevie's clavinet and some tasty strings in the intro before going into a nice mid tempo old fashioned r&b groove. He even gets a little funky on "People Person." The cut "Wildlife," swings like r&b meets jazz. A horn section adds to the flava and a (I am not kidding) harmonica, not sounding like Stevie though (thank God). The cd has some fine musicians on it, including Billy Preston and one of Earth, Wind and Fire's original guitarist Al Mc Kay.
"You Got A Friend," brings down the house. It sounds similar to the other joints but at the end it starts swinging and makes you want to start dancing along with it. No, it does not have a club beat but rather a hard old skool r&b beat. If you are not dancing, you will be nodding your head, snapping your fingers, tapping your feet. Once you hear this, when you see that title you will never thing of the Carole King song that James Taylor did again.
The title track closes the record. It begins with a slow piano intro that starts out as a lament but eventually goes to church and that sets the tone of this bitter song.
Welcome to the colored section
Welcome to the Negro League
Sign your name on a Black list
And know this, it's American history
See what it's like it is be blackmailed
See a real live conspiracy
Sign your name on a Black List
And know this, it's American history
I am very pleased with this record. It has a light breezy refreshing quality to it. Donnie has his own voice within the new neo-soul artists. He does not sound like D'Angelo or Musiq and that is good thing, cuz if you are "borrowing" from the past you shouldn't be doing that from the present too. There are no ballads on here. There are love songs on here but more of the kind fitting somone who was raised in the church. It's also nice to finally hear some positive lyrics coming from a singer rather than a rapper.I can't hear any sampled music on here either which is also refreshing and something Donnie's piers cannot always attest to. There are not alot of synthesizers either, just plain old piano, bass and drums and you know what...u doin't even miss them. Donnie also has a good stage presence, which can't hurt. He looks like he just came from 1972 with his 'fro and low key dress. A new talent has arrived and the music world is a better place for it! Donnie will perform a free concert in Brooklyn's Prospect Park August 2 7:30.
P.S.: My cd bandlnk connection does not work either!
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