Kevin Aviance's new album shows a fair amount of growth from his previous collection, "Box of Chocolates." While Box of Chocolates was very nice for its moody, Grace Jones influenced rhythms; Aviance didn't try too much variation with his vocals except on "Dance For Love." On this album, it seems that Kevin has been working a lot on his voice, as there's a lot more singing, less chanting, and more melody. In addition to his Billboard Hit "Alive," there are some songs I really liked including "You've Got The Groove," "Freak It" and "Fire." If you don't already know "Alive," it's fun, happy and upbeat. Kevin Aviance lives in New York, and this was something the city really needed to cheer everyone up after September 11th.
"You've Got The Groove" reminds me a little of a record from Cajual Records by Dajae called "You've Got Me Up." However, Kevin's song is lighter and more melodic. This sounds like a good song to "walk" to, so, just like tracks by Robbie Tronco, this might make a nice vogueing record. (Actually, it doesn't sound much like a Tronco track at all as it's too light/melodic. Part of it sounds like something from DJ Pierre like "What is House Muzik?" or "Plastic.") I think it would make a great single, especially if they brought out a strong, smacking drum line.
The beginning of "Give It Up" just bowls you over with energy. It settles into something a bit mellower that reminds me a bit of the Murk record "Fired Up" by Funky Green Dogs. Kevin uses his deep voice a bit on this, so he did give this track his own signature. The lyrics are fun and racy.
Merrily skipping right over track 5, the "interlube chant," we get to the awesome "Freak It." The mixing of the background music and Kevin's vocals is really quite good. While it might be a little down tempo for a club, I still think this song would be fun to mix with something like Steve Miller's "Abracadabra", The Dazz Band's "Let It Whip" or The Mary Jane Girls' "In My House." And this is another song that would go over big with Grace Jones fans.
"The Power" seems to be a throwback to what I used to call "Gospel House" or "Church House" which I guess is best described as a type of lighter house music with religious inflections. A good example of this genre was the song "I Know He Will" by Revival, although actually I think "The Power" is a little better. Still, I don't think this one of the stronger tracks of the album, as the music is a bit too repetitive.
"Seattle" is slow and poetic. It seems out of place on an album that is mostly dance music, but it's nice to have something bluesy and personal. To me, it shows that this artist is willing to risk an experiment and expand musically.
"Twirl" is very ironic for someone who's been such a big presence in the club world. The music comes across as a bit uninspired and throwaway, but actually this song is very mature because it seems to be about the realization that the scene has a sad, cynical and numbing side to it. It's a very timely song as it comes out as the same time as the dark club film "Party Monster." Some of the lyrics make me curious if this song is a bit of a tribute to the late disco musician, Sylvester.
"Fire" is perfect end-of-the-night music. It's soothing and trancy so it's terrific to come down to after a long night of dancing, but still great to move to if you have a little energy left. This is another track that would make a great single. This song reminds me a little bit of "Days Go By" by Dirty Vegas, but I really think "Fire" is way better. It also reminds me of some of the best elements of Whitney Houston's "Love Will Save The Day." Kevin's vocals are particularly impressive on this one.
"Ready Set Go" is more of a showpiece for Tony Moran (the producer) than Kevin. It features some canned arena noise so it reminds me a bit of the rave tracks from the early 90's. Then there's a nice bonus track -- a new remix of "Alive." With the number of good songs on this album, I'd say it's definitely one to add to your collection. I hope to see more singles off of this release.
