Soul singer Bobby V was already eight years into his solo career, with five solid albums and one EP to his credit, when he released the very soulful Peach Moon in 2013. Serving as the singer’s second EP, Peach Moon found the singer taking a different approach to give fans a sound in the vein of Neo-Soul.
Bobby opens the EP with the intro titled “Peach Moon,” which features a spoken word by Big Rube. It’s a great mood setter for the EP, which has the vibe of a soulful jazz café. After the intro, Bobby smoothly transitions into “Back To Love,” where I get the vibe that the singer was perfectly in tune with his band while recording this one.
The live instrumentation comes through flawlessly, while Bobby croons about his affection for his lady love. “Koko Lovely” is up next, which is textbook D’Angelo and Bobby and his band create a vibe that will have you snapping your fingers. Southern soul shines through on “Who Am I To Change,” which I could easily see as an inspirational number in an off-Broadway play.
“Love Abuse” is next, where Bobby gives us a story about a player trying to change his ways and get his lady back. The inspirational vibes continue on the album’s closer, “Never Give Up.” If I did have one gripe with the project, it would be the lack of one of Bobby’s signature slow jams for an intimate night with your lady.
However, Bobby’s instrumentation and dedication to this project more than make up for it. While Bobby V has a catalog of club bangers and slow jams, Peach Moon is easily one of the singer’s top projects. I sincerely hope he revisits the vibe he created with this wonderful EP one day.
Final Grade: A
Peach Moon is available on all streaming platforms.
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.