One of the most iconic R&B songs of all time, “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)” receives a 2020 cover version. The original version was from Quincy Jones’s Back On The Black album and featured American R&B singers Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, El DeBarge, and Barry White. The 2020 version is the lead single from up & coming singer Omar Wilson’s album Omar Wilson Sings the Classics. Wilson enlists vocalists Sisqó, Shawn Stockman & Raheem DeVaughn for his version.
Unlike Jermaine Dupri’s horrid 2010 remix version which featured Usher, Robin Thicke, Tyrese LL Cool J ,Tevin Campbell & Barry White, the newest version brings it’s modern day flavor to the song. Each of the singers pays homage to the original singer’s verse they are singing with Shawn Stockman standing out.
In a time when folks think R&B is dead, Omar Wilson, Sisqó, Shawn Stockman & Raheem DeVaughn give us a glimmer of hope with their version of, “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)”.
Final Grade B+
“The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)” is available on all streaming platforms.
Audio Visual Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JVgVrR8JA4&list=RD7JVgVrR8JA4&start_radio=1
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.
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