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.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit 2004 and highlight Romeo’s debut solo album, formerly of Immature. Titled “Food for Thought” and released on June 22nd, this project marked the singer’s change of name to Young Rome in an effort to distance himself from the youthful sound of his group, much like his bandmate Marques Houston had done a year earlier.
In the nineties, Hip-Hop reigned supreme, and every label CEO wanted a share of the lucrative R&B market. One strategy was to keep singers on their roster who could deliver catchy hooks, keeping everything in-house and saving money. Bad Boy had Carl Thomas, Death Row had Danny Boy, and Roc-A-Fella had Rell, our featured artist for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday
Growing up in the eighties, I was surrounded by incredibly talented male R&B singers who could deliver unforgettable love songs. Artists like Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and Peabo Bryson dominated the airwaves, but Freddie Jackson was another voice that truly deserved recognition.