Terius Nash, better known as The -Dream was already an established artist when he released his I Am Sam EP a few days before Christmas in 2015. The EP was a collection of covers by the legendary Sam Cooke and was recorded during the sessions, The-Dream had with Beyoncé for 4 album.
Around the time of release, The-Dream had this to say about the project “My Mother loved a lot of Artist growing up, but the one we shared the most interest in together was Sam Cooke, so tonight I give him back to her.”
As most music fans know, Sam Cooke is arguably one of the greatest singers of all time. Cooke was a baritone with 3.4. Octave range. Despite his robust pen game, The-Dream has never possessed the most vital signing voice. I honestly had no idea where the project was going to go.
To my surprise, The-Dream delivers a solid EP that serves not as a heartfelt tribute to his late mother but as a respectful homage to Mr. Cooke. Some of the songs covered include “Cupid,” “You Send Me,” and “A Change is Gonna Come.” The-Dream never over sings any of the tracks, nor does he use any auto tune. Instead, he uses falsetto and tenor to make the songs work for him. I also want to commend the singer for his production choices, as all of the songs have an old-school feel to them.
If I had one gripe with the project, I would say that he could move a few of the placements on the track list around, but overall this is a nice project worth the listen and a great introduction to Sam Cooke for younger fans.
Final Grade: B +
I Am Sam is available on The-Dream’s Sound cloud.
This past Friday marked the 40th anniversary of “The Voice,” a.k.a. Whiney Houston’s self-titled debut album hitting stores. So, in that regard, it was only right to give Nippy her flowers for this week’s Second Listen Sunday.
For this weekend’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to take a trip to Motor City and show some love to soul singer Dwele. It was 2005, and I was living in the UK as part of my Air Force enlistment. Dwele had just released his second album, “Some Kinda,” enjoying some chart success with the lead single “I Think I Love U,” by Mike City.
The remainder of the album maintains a classic R&B vibe, showcasing the group’s signature sound. One of the standout tracks is “Maybe Tomorrow,” featuring the iconic Phyllis Hyman. It transforms difficult circumstances into positive outcomes—essentially making lemonade from lemons.