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Antonio's new jam The Dream Goes On built on the soft musical rain of congas and bongos that is significant for the music of Antonio, also features Annette Taylor on vocals.
The fact the Antonio introduces a singer is something of a surprise since he on several occasions stated that it is not necessary with vocals for a song to tell a story. Only this time the story is so emotionally charged that it requires the strong vocals from Annette Taylor to deliver the message at the same time as the spiritual groove of the music expresses the emotions within the song.
The interpretation of The Dream Goes On is necessarily twofold since it both carries a story expressed in the lyrics and music, as well as it is a record for dancing.
The Dream Goes On conjures with the tradition of blues and soul music in its dealings with the difficulties in following our dreams in life and our struggles for not letting life's obstacles diminish or steal those dreams.
I guess it would not be too far fetched to draw a parallel from Antonio's personal experiences with struggles for his right to maintain control over his music - no one has the right to take away your dreams , as the lyrics says. And from a general perspective it is very easy to relate to that message since most of us are chasing one dream or another.
Listening to The Dream Goes On with the jazz tinged flute and sax arrangement brings me back a couple of years, to a romantic dream: it was midnight in Manhattan, we were driving down Broadway with Richard and Gladys in the front. Alena and I were sitting low in the backseat of Rick's Subaru. Alena was dressed up so fine in a short black dress, had skin like burnished copper, long legs and her heels were steep. Her beautiful long black hair fell softly on her shoulders when she whispered, close to my ear, that she didn't wanted to go home...
Antonio's music is always deep and spiritual with an organic groove provided by live instrumentation and with the added vocals from Annette Taylor, Follow That Dream stands out as one of Antonio's most stunning releases to date. It is deep, nightclub-friendly soulful house music that should have every house jock worth his salt on it.
The two Jerome Sydenham and Dennis Ferrer produced singles, the Latin tinged percussion monster Koko and the Afro-House floor-filler Aro has been available for a while and these tracks are without competition the best groovers on this album.
The Sydenham/Ferrer collaboration added syncopated rhythm patterns to the 4/4 beat, and by doing so, they ignited the groove and created soulful floor-burners. The album is worth having for these tracks alone. Essential music for Body & Soul aficionados.
The Danish percussionists Uffe Savery and Morten Friis formed the Safri Duo in 1988. In 1992 both graduated from the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music. After graduation Safri moved away from ordinary classical music, into a whole new ball game. They aim to revise dance music with a blend of classic percussion and techno rhythms.
They take pumping but fairly conventional club music and put their live percussion on top of it. It has lots of energy. It is really an incongruous combination because you do get the odd sort of batucada-programmed, percussive house number but this is live and actually sounds that way. Cool!
Now they are also housing the Don of French House music, Julien Jabre, Voodance
is a percussion filled Latin House smoker with nice piano chords. On flip side is a jazz beat groover called Yalopa. A nice pair, indeed!
Calm's first release was part of the Sky EP series off Exceptional records and it comprised three tracks which are all included on Shadow of The Earth, his second full length album.
On Shadow of The Earth Calm uses flutes and deceptively simple piano and percussion patterns which are woven together to produce hauntingly effective music. The listener is sucked into the music by its sheer beauty.
Calm makes music for both the mind and the body, simple on the surface yet
revealing hidden depths for the attentive listener, with Eastern and Western influences put together in a truly unique way. It is restful, almost Zen-like in parts. Summer music for all seasons. This is very good album!
The music spans from Blaze's soulful Paradise to the hard edge tech-house of Losoul's Lies. Playhouse's most successful act Isolee is of course included with their dance floor monster Beau Mot Plage. It still sounds as fresh today as it did two years ago when it first surfaced in the clubs.
Give the set a couple of listenings, since some of the tracks might need repeated listening before their greatness is revealed. Some of the music on this album sounds like nothing ever heard before. The music from Playhouse has a hard edge and a deep groove like music fetched from the future... It is very beautiful and sometimes quite dark. Check it up!
Cachaito is his solo debut and it does not sound like anything ever heard out of Cuba. This is contemporary jazz flavored club music with a distinct groove, sans the pianos and horns so significant for - what we have learned - to be Cuban music on the nostalgic releases from Buena Vista Social Club.
This is reduced music, stripped to the bone of pure beats and groove. Cachaito and his producer Nick Gold has added a significant African touch to the percussion arrangements, the bass is deep as in reggae and there are a number of sophisticated dub effects added.
The French DJ Dee Nasty adds scratch, Hugh Maskela plays the trumpet, Pee Wee Ellis, off James Brown fame plays tenor saxophone, Manuel Galban plays the guitar and Miguel Diaz plays congas and percussion. But on most of the tracks it is only Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez on bass, Bigga Morrison on Hammond organ, Manuel Galban on electric guitar and a lot of percussion - and the music is stripped to the groove.
Do not sleep - absolutely essential music!
In August last year she released a 12" single featuring two tracks from the album, Ain´t No Love and You Got Me Spinning which were appetizers that raised expectations.
The new single I Am Your Woman penned by R.Kelly especially for Syleena Johnson is currently getting some airwave attention.
The rest of the songs on the album are selfpenned and deals with the ever-present issues about loving and being loved and not really be in touch with the other person's feelings. Basically its all about passion, betrayal & redemption.
These is pretty much standard themes in soul music, but being an accomplished storyteller Syleena Johnson handles these issues in a fresh and personal way by transforming her personal experiences into something larger and her personal experiences becomes an experience we all can relate to.
In view of the excellent 12" single, the expectations were high, to say the least, and I am glad to say that the album is up to par and then some. With a voice that is experienced yet clear and soulful Syleena Johnson takes us back to the day when music came from the heart. This is quality soul music that is so good that it will never get the airplay it so well deserves. Pure class!
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