AOTD

Album Of The Day: Kindred The Family Soul – Surrender To Love

Posted on by Brights

Straight out of the city of brotherly love, Kindred the Family Soul — aka Fatin Dantzler and Aja Graydon — are a married duo that fronts a ten-piece band.

Surrender to Love is their debut album released in 2003. The album was a minor success at best peaking at #159 on the Billboard 200 and #29 on the Billboard R&B chart.

The album’s only official single was “Far Away”, which peaked at #53 on the Billboard R&B singles chart.

The modest chart success of the album is in no way indicative of the quality of the music contained on the album. Steeped in the DNA of 60’s and 70’s soul music the album is a thrilling mix of R&B, hip-hop, funk and pop.

The vocal interplay between Dantzler and Graydon is intimate and soothing and reflects the primary theme of the album; black love.

Running to 25 tracks the album might be slightly overlong but there are so many highlights on the album that it is never boring and doesn’t drag. It’s a fun, funky, sophisticated and mature album that explores all the facets of love and family and arguably one of the best R&B albums on 2003. This is one that is well worth checking out.

Album of the Day: Kylie Minogue

Posted on by Brights

Kylie Minogue celebrated her 52nd birthday on May 28 and whilst her sales numbers are not where they used to be and her presence on the charts with every new release is not as assured as it once was she is still putting out music that is worth hearing. Today, we look back to her self titled fift studio album which was released in 1994 released on the indie record label DECONSTRUCTION.

This album is generally seen as Kylie’s attempt to forge a new musical direction after her tenure at PWL and her close association with Stock, Aitken and Waterman. I would say that it does that successfully moving away from the bubblegum dance-pop sound featured on previous albums to a more mature sophisticated sound draving a much wider palette of sounds from the dance-pop that Minogue was known for but also acid jazz, ambient, piano house and R&B influences. The sound was still accessible just more polished with left of mainstream pop influences able to shine through.

This approach is best captured by the lead single “Confide in Me”. Released in August 1994 “Confide in Me” was not a typical Kylie single even the length of the song which clocks in at almost six minutes (5:51) was a massive departure. Produced by BROTHERS IN RHYTHM the song isa dizzying combination of pop and trip-hop with a heathy dose of middle eastern instrumentation and it ranks as one of Minogue’s best singles.

The alnum debuted at number three in her native Australia and number four in the United Kingdom and the album eventually was certified Gold.

an attempt to draw a line under her PWL/SAW years KYLIE MINOGUE is a great triumph and thats why its today’s AOTD.

Check out Confide in Me below.