Heston’s sophomore album, Warm Human Cold World is a soothing mix of jazz, soul and funk that is laid back and quite easy to listen to. It’s easy to listen to in the car, while working, during dinner, and easy to listen to while spending time with that special someone. For that reason alone it succeeds, because so much of the music pumped through the airwaves these days is quite harsh. The tracks are often overwhelming and/or the lyrics are repulsive. Nothing offensive here, Heston mainly addresses love– being in love, making love, as well as losing love–rather poetically on tracks like “She Lives In Me” (“This is something more than love. She lives in me.”) and “Lonely In My Room” (“Too many have tried to light my fire. Still I can’t sleep in my bed. Don’t know why I ever left you.”).

Even though the sailing is smooth some waves would have been nice. Although the cd starts out with an uptempo track, “The Greatest Lover” (a song which is probably a delight to hear live because of some great horns and a funky organ on the track) and the cd ends with an uptempo track, “Oh La La“, which sounds like a vintage funk track from the 70′s– their presence does not rock the boat or steer the cd away from the direction in which it is headed. One after another the tracks come with the same temperament and laid back execution. They flow into each other, which, in some ways speaks to the continuity of the cd. It can be played without skipping any tracks. But, I was hoping for a track that was different than or stood apart from the others in some way that made the listener absolutely never forget it. It almost went there at the end of “You”, where, as the song rides out there’s a mini jam session from the band that leaves you wanting more.
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When I first had the chance to hear Amerie, it was on her 2002 debut album “All I Have,” and I was quickly blown away. The album infused sounds from r&b, soul, and neo-soul, and had an overall polish to it. Her powerful voice over a series of mid tempo jams and ballads convinced me we had a new unique talent unlike anyone currently out. Not only did she co-write all of the songs on the album, but it featured no guest appearances which allowed her to take hold of the spotlight and use that to her advantage.

Amerie was able to further define her unique style on her follow up album “Touch” in 2005. This time, she added elements of hip hop, funk and jazz to the mix, along with some up-tempo songs, moving her still farther away from away from what anyone in the mainstream had even experimented with. This is perhaps even more evident on her international only release “Because I Love It” in 2007, where she managed to push the limits even further by applying her new sound to mostly up-tempo songs. Through it all, there was no questioning her voice, which is powerful and beautiful, yet strong at times.

By her third album, though, her style had moved away from a more subtle and soulful groove, to a more loud, in your face, abrasive brand of music. While it worked on some tracks, I’ve felt that despite her unique sound, she really moved away from what worked so well on “All I Have.” In fact, “Because I Love It” seemed to be in a totally different direction than her debut.
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This post was submitted by Thomas Leo.

This is a reader contributed guest post from Tom Leo.

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Growing up in a household with a family where music was seemingly always on in some fashion, there was never much doubt that Kevon Edmonds would follow in his older brothers’ footsteps and pursue a career in music. Although overshadowed at times by his most famous brother Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, there is no denying that Kevon has put together a very solid career.

While pursuing an education at Indiana University in 1989, Kevon would link up with Keith Mitchell and brother Melvin to form the group After 7. The group would go on to release three successful albums before disbanding in 1997 to pursue solo careers. During the next few years, Kevon would create a name for himself with his first solo album “24/7,” which eventually would be certified gold and produce the top 10 billboard hit of the same name. The album was packed with soulful slow and mid tempo jams that flowed beautifully from start to finish. However, as the years progressed, a follow up album never came and Kevon was basically unheard from.

Fast forward ten years, and we finally have that sophomore album from Kevon Edmonds…..if you can find it. In an attempt to purchase the album from Best Buy on release date, I was told the store didn’t get any copies and neither did ten any of the other ten closest locations. Eventually, after striking out at Wal-Mart, I was able to find a copy of the album at Target of all places; that has never been the first store I look for a new album release. With a copy of the album finally in hand, the events of the day added to my anticipation.
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This post was submitted by Thomas Leo.