Good things come to those who wait…. it’s been seven long years since we’ve enjoyed new music from smooth soul man Rahsaan Patterson – but with (at last) the release of this new long player he proves (again) that quality will always trump quantity!
We were told about this album a month or two back when Mr P issued the single ‘Sent From Heaven’. Gorgeous, lazy, smooth and buttery, the track won instant favour particularly amongst the Quiet Stomers who likened it (a little) to his groundbreaking 1997 ‘Don’t Wanna Loose It’. It was a proper teaser for the album and to whet our appetites even more that lovely ballad was followed with the more up-tempo ‘Catch Me When I Fall’. The 13 track album offers plenty more goodies – both “up” and “down” moments.
The best beater (after the aforementioned ‘Catch Me When I Fall’) is ‘Silly, Love Fool’ – but maybe it’s just a tad too electro for the modern soul dancers. Best of the slowies/mid tempo moments are the lovely, lithe ”Wonderful Star’ which features clever interplay between Patterson and the femme chorus, ‘Rock and Roll’ which isn’t R&R at all – rather an insidious soul groove that really takes off and ‘Break It Down’ – a throwback to the days of ‘Don’t Wanna Loose It’. For extra interest, Mr P also offers a respectful cover of Luther’s ‘Don’t You Know That’.
Towards the end of the album there’s a suite of more experimental tracks complete with electro effects and the like. The conservative soul crowd will probably pass on them but the mesmeric ‘Sweet Memories’ does manage (via the effects) to conjure up a dreamy, memory-seeking soundscape. And what carries all these tunes is Patterson’s memorably, unusual but very appealing voice.
