India Arie - Songversation

Styles: R&B
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:18
Size: 152,6 MB
Art: Front

(0:35)  1. Soulbird Intro
(3:12)  2. Just Do You
(3:53)  3. This Love
(2:52)  4. Nothing That I Love More
(3:53)  5. Flowers
(3:55)  6. Cocoa Butter
(0:36)  7. SoulBird Interlude: Trombone
(4:48)  8. Moved By You
(3:23)  9. Life I Know
(4:09) 10. Break the Shell
(4:10) 11. SoulBird Rise
(4:33) 12. Thy Will Be Done (feat. Gramps Morgan)
(3:40) 13. Brothers' Keeper
(5:25) 14. One
(0:36) 15. Soulbird Outro: Clarinet
(3:52) 16. I Am Light
(0:35) 17. SoulBird Reprise: Ney
(3:43) 18. Thank You
(2:54) 19. 6th Avenue
(5:26) 20. Strange Fruit

Back with Motown, India.Arie is rejuvenated for her fifth album, which follows a lengthy hiatus. A series of mishaps, combined with some dissatisfaction regarding the sound of her recordings, prompted the break. She even contemplated leaving the industry. However, only the most attentive listeners will hear a considerable difference between SongVersation and the Testimony albums. Largely a low-key, gently uplifting affair with a soft, warm glow, 11 of its 16 tracks are enhanced with assistance from several Turkish musicians including percussionists, horn players, an oudist, and the Istanbul Strings who were recorded at the studio of Sezen Aksu (one of the guests on Testimony, Vol. 2). Longtime co-producer and instrumentalist Shannon Sanders remains, while new associate David Ryan Harris (Dionne Farris, John Mayer) is another major factor. 

The album's upbeat tone is set with the driving "Just Do You," a career highlight boasting a chorus that recalls the pre-chorus of Michael Jackson's "Rock with You." Apart from certain accents from the Turkish musicians, none of the material will surprise anybody. Sweet, sighing, relaxed numbers like "Flowers" ("You're the moral compass directing me to light") and "Cocoa Butter" ("You are like cocoa butter on my heart") are among the most India.Arie-like songs laid down. Everything most exemplified by "Break the Shell," inspired by an encounter with Cicely Tyson transmits positivity, even when she admits that, as a woman "almost four decades in" with neither a lifelong partner nor children, she's unsure of her position in life. It's evident that Arie's in a good place, both creatively and personally, yet SongVersation is not about self-satisfaction. She has no trouble bringing her listeners along. ~ Andy Kellman   http://www.allmusic.com/album/songversation-mw0002519717

Songversation

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India Arie - Acoustic Soul

Styles: R&B
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:03
Size: 163,8 MB
Art: Front

(0:50)  1. Intro
(4:09)  2. Video
(4:37)  3. Promises
(4:56)  4. Brown Skin
(4:57)  5. Strength, Courage, & Wisdom
(4:24)  6. Nature
(5:11)  7. Back To The Middle
(4:28)  8. Ready For Love
(1:24)  9. Interlude
(4:40) 10. Always In My Head
(3:17) 11. I See God In You
(3:26) 12. Simple
(4:03) 13. Part Of My Life
(4:05) 14. Beautiful
(1:20) 15. Outro
(5:32) 16. Wonderful (Steve Wonder Dedication)
(5:57) 17. Strength, Courage, & Wisdom (Live)
(3:36) 18. Brown Skin (Bedroom Rockers Remix)

As one of the most promising neo-soul artists yet to emerge in the past few years, India.Arie casts her lot with the best artists of her label's storied history, playing deeply introspective songs laced with glistening acoustic guitar, churchy organ, and smooth, supple beats. When she name-checks those artists no longer with us that she claims as influences (Ma Rainey, Miles Davis, Karen Carpenter, Charley Patton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Donny Hathaway, etc.) in three separate interludes, you have no doubt she is looking back as well as forward, even going so far as to invoke Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come." But Acoustic Soul is at its best when the arrangements are deliberately modern. And despite the uniqueness of being a guitar-based R&B album, it is Arie's thick, sandy voice that shares star billing with her exceptional lyrics. 

Betraying youthful vulnerability while at the same time projecting strength, confidence, and uncanny insight for a 25-year-old singer/songwriter, Arie wraps herself effortlessly around the deep, funky sensuality of "Brown Skin," and stands tall in defiance of pop-fashion expectations on the irresistibly catchy "Video." The uplifting "Faith, Courage, Wisdom" rides along on a euphoric chorus, and the plainly autobiographical "Back to the Middle" recounts an emotional and spiritual coming of age. Without the many concrete references to the great R&B music of the past, Acoustic Soul would be a purely modern gem, but as Arie is determined to pay her debts up front, it's much more, and that is admirable. ~ John Duffy   http://www.allmusic.com/album/acoustic-soul-mw0000001036

Acoustic Soul

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