Soul Sessions [Sessions]

Performer: Various Artists
Distributor: Select-O-Hits

Notes: SOUL SESSIONS features tracks that were previously only available on 12" vinyl. Includes liner notes by Garth Trinidad. Giant Step's Soul Sessions is a compilation, not a mix album, spotlighting tracks from a diverse cast of artists inspired by soul. (Anyone troubled by the nebulous definition of the word circa 2002 will find one from each of the artists in the liner notes, like this one from Donnie: "It neither hungers, breathes, fights, has color, race or gender.") The music is far better than the liners, pursuing the same earnest fusion of acid jazz, house, and contemporary R&B that's united global concerns from Tokyo to Munich to London to San Francisco. Ultra Nat�, one of the finest contemporary R&B vocalists, opens with the lush, largely acoustic "Twisted." Working with Jonathan Maron as Atlantis, Giant Step regular Ron Trent delivers the highlight: "Future Love," an earthy fusion of Lonnie Liston Smith atmosphere and Roy Ayers' groove. Joe Claussell's house remix of "The Essence" features Herbie Hancock with Chaka Khan. The producer tracks account for roughly half of the compilation, though vocalists Carl Hancock Rux and Jody Watley both acquit themselves nicely. With deep grooves but a largely acoustic setting, Soul Sessions succeeds in pulling fans from all manner of genres: dance music, acid jazz, even vocal music. ~ John Bush The Sessions wing of Union Square Music comes up with another no-frills but boldly packaged double-disc set of both familiar and overlooked music. As with other installments in the series like Funk Sessions and Breaks Sessions, Soul Sessions -- to both its detriment and its credit -- is hardly a run-of-the-mill compilation. It includes some smooth, well-known hits that still emanate over the radio waves of specialty soul programs, along with several cuts that are rightly or questionably cult favorites with crate diggers. A broad spectrum is covered, reaching back to 1968 for Jackie Wilson's "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" and bringing things more up to date with former Jones Girl Jean Carne, who delivers one of a handful of late-'90s cuts with "Don't Stop Doin' Watcha Doin'." Throughout, a fair amount of attention is paid to the U.K.'s rare groove scene of the early '90s, which placed emphasis on obscure R&B from the late '70s and early '80s. In addition, some bona fide chart monsters are thrown in to make matters all the more diverse. This broad range is sequenced with skill, so there are no huge stylistic leaps -- everything here is in the service of a lazy afternoon (Grover Washington, Jr. and Bill Withers' "Just the Two of Us," Kashif's "Rhythm of My Mind," Atlantic Starr's "My Love Is Real") or a romantic evening (Al B. Sure's "Nite and Day," Billy Griffin's "Hold Me Tighter in the Rain," Sylvia's "Pillow Talk," the Isley Brothers' "For the Love of You"). Perhaps the most significant aspect of the set is the fact that it makes a noble attempt at bridging the gulf between those who believe modern R&B has nothing to offer and those who aren't so in tune with the past. For those who like it smooth and easy, this has plenty in store. ~ Andy Kellman

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