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Music Reviews
Laura Turner debuts stunning vocal style and songwriting ability in Soul Deep (Curb Records). Laura’s unique sound blends her formal voice training with contemporary expression that exhibits a smoldering sensuality. Turner may turn out to be one of the most talked about new artists of the year. Her formal training shaped her voice into a well-trained instrument. However, her growing artistic restlessness led her to explore other genres of music, with an eye toward more possibilities of expression and range. She sharpened her skills and repertoire in clubs on songwriter’s nights. “At the time, it was the most frustrating experience,” Turner recalls. “But in retrospect, I see it was just my time to ‘pay my dues’ — to find my own voice as an artist, to discover the place where my soul and the soul of the song meet, and to lose myself in that place. I learned in those moments of abandon that I could be more than the sum of my musical parts — that something transcendent happened. These moments became the measure of my success as a singer and my goal for life.” During that time, Laura met producer/writer Kurt Howell, who also has a classical music pedigree. After working together, they eventually approached David Huff as a co-producer, and eventually Laura signed with Curb Records. Turner’s style defies one-word definition. Her voice is at once romantic and tender in lyrical delivery, and impressive with the clarity and power of her range. The title track, Soul Deep, is a celebration of the spiritual aspects of lovemaking. Soul Deep begins with an orchestral feel and the first exposure to Laura’s incredible voice. Where You Are is a prayer for fulfillment that reflects on the fundamental self-doubt all of us bring to any substantive relationship, whether with a lover or the divine. Laura’s vocal range and ability to slip between musical styles are evident in Baby Sleep — an unexpected mix of heartbeat percussion, synthesizer, exotic-sounding guitar, and harp. Angel de Madrugada features Turner in duet with Ray Vega, proving that no matter what language she sings in, Turner is bound to get the attention of all. Soul Deep may be Laura Turner’s first release, but the quality of her voice will make you think she has been producing award-winning music for decades. After 27 years, legendary soul, rhythm, and blues singer Al Green delights fans with his newest release I Can’t Stop (Blue Note Records). Recording at Royal Studios in Memphis with producer and arranger Willie Mitchell, Green returned to the musical roots that made him famous in the 1970s. I Can’t Stop features four original tracks written by Green and eight written by Mitchell. I Can’t Stop is loaded with performances by many of the original musicians that recorded with Green and Mitchell way back when. Guitarist Mabon Hodges, bassist Leroy Hodges, the Royal Horns, and backing vocalists Charlie Chalmers, Sandra Rhodes, and Donna Rhodes. The title track, I Can’t Stop, swells with the Royal Horns in a great rhythm-and-blues melody featuring undulating background vocals and Green’s perfect voice. Green’s voice has gotten better with age, and he has lost none of his doo-wop, moaning, groaning signature-style. Who else could move so effortlessly from growling lyrics to high falsetto without a break? I Been Waitin’ on You, one of Green’s compositions, features Al demanding where his lover has been and alternately claiming he’s already over the heartbreak. You (Are My Shinning |
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