R&B crooner Will Downing gives fans an EP of covers with this latest release on Sophisticated Soul Records, Romantique, Pt. 1. No stranger to covers, as all of his albums usually feature one cover with his signature sound, Romantique, Pt. 1 finds Downing paying homage to baritone singers. Opening with his interoperation of Lou Rawls, “You’ll Never Find Another Love like Mine,” Downing’s version has a Chicago stepper’s feel to it, without losing the smooth flow of the original Gamble & Huff production.
Track 2 finds Downing in a duet with the impeccably talented Avery Sunshine to recreate Dionne Warwick’s “Déjà Vu.” The song was written by the legendary Isaac Hayes and was originally a solo performance for Warwick. Downing steps into the role of Isaac Hayes with Sunshine portraying Warwick, and the two create a great duet that showcases both of their talents.
Downing then does a modernized remake of one of his classics, 1997’s “If She Knew” from his Invitation Only album. Striping down the original track to an acoustic version gives the song a new flavor that gives Downing the chance to shine and show off his vocal chops.
Downing pays homage to Isaac Hayes once again with his version of Hayes’ “Never Can Say Goodbye.” The song is primarily known as a Jackson 5 song, but it was also covered by Isaac Hayes in 1971. Downing’s version keeps the blues-inspired feel of Hayes’ version while shadowing the heartbreak that The Jacksons displayed.
Closing out the EP is Downing’s take on John Coltrane’s “My One and Only Love.” I wasn’t too familiar with this song. Downing’s version is reminiscent of big band music and transported me to a Harlem Jazz club. The song is a testament to Downing’s vocal ability.
Will Downing is, without a doubt, one of the best singers in modern music. With his latest release Downing solidifies his ability to sing just about anything and sound good doing it.
EP Highlights – “Déjà Vu.”, “Never Can Say Goodbye.” “You’ll Never Find Another Love like Mine,”
Final Grade B+
From his early days in the family group Wings of Faith, Mr. Gill was born to make music. However, as R&B fans know, Johnny Gill’s initial release with Atlantic Records failed to make a significant impact when it first came out. The 1983 self-titled debut showed a strong voice struggling to adapt to a studio that couldn’t properly utilize its power.
My introduction to Myron was with the song “Sistas” on the “Eddie” soundtrack in the summer of 1996. Before setting up his solo album, Myron would write classics for Mya and Dru Hill. “Destiny” was written by Myron and Tyrice Jones, and the latter was also producing. Set to a sample of Herbie Hancock’s “Come Running to Me”, the song explores how fate governs the formation of connections between people meant to exist from the beginning.
Music producers transitioning to a solo album is common in the music industry. For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit Sean Garrett’s solo debut, “Turbo 919,” released in 2008.
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