Hall & Oates - Our Kind of Soul
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CD Details
Artist: Hall & OatesEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2004-10-26
Music Label: U-Watch Records
Soundtracks:
- Let Love Take Control
- Standing In The Shadows Of Love
- I'll Be Around
- Used To Be My Girl
- Soul Violins
- I Can Dream About You
- Don't Turn Your Back On Me Baby
- Fading Away
- Neither One Of Us
- After The Dance
- Rock Steady
- Love TKO
- What You See Is What You Get
- Can't Get Enough Of Your Love
- You Are Everything
- I'm Still In Love With You
- Ooh Child
Music reviews of Our Kind of Soul
Music Review: The Duo Returns
Rating: 4 Stars
Fresh off the heels of a successful original album (2003's Do It For Love), an album of mostly covers of Soul classics may have seemed an odd choice. Not so fast. This album is much more than a paint by numbers covers record. This is the "tribute" record that Daryl & John have been threatening to make for years and the sheer joy they must have had in recording it shines through throughout the disc.
Track by Track:
Let Love Take Control-On an album of mostly covers Hall & Oates take the bold route by kicking it off with a brand new original (penned by Daryl, John and fellow Philly boy Billy Mann) and kick it off it does. Powerful vocals and an infectious chorus get this party started right. "Sweet soul gotta hold on me!"
Standing In The Shadows Of Love-Daryl & John take what was already a classic and give it a powerful treatment that adds a 2004 flavor while retaining the spirit of the original. Acoustic guitars shimmer against a soulfully desperate lead vocal and perfectly executed harmonies. "Don't leave me here Standing In The Shadows Of Love".
I'll Be Around-This treatment doesn't break any new ground as much as it plays homage to the original. In keeping with the theme of the album the track bristles with modern production while retaining a "classic" soul sound. "Whenever you call me, I'll be there..."
Used To Be My Girl-What a fun song! The beat never stops and it's nearly impossible to listen to this track without moving. The guys jazz this classic up and give it a playful bouncy feel as the insanely catchy chorus drills it's way into your subconscious. "The girl's got plenty good lovin'"
Soul Violins-Another Hall & Oates original follows and it's a beautiful tale of how a man feels when his lover enters the room. This track, like all of the originals on this record, stands up to anything they've ever recorded. A mid tempo sexy groove thumps along as Daryl oozes longing, sadness, and romance all in the same breath. "I hear Soul Violins when you walk through that door."
I Can Dream About You-Originally written for D & J by Dan Hartman but later turned into a hit for himself. The song is stripped to its core and while it is a good version the rewriting of the lyrics was not only unnecessary but also obtrusive. Most of the new lyrics carry neither the poignancy nor the melodic flair of the original, which causes the song to sound awkward in places. The chorus remains fantastic though. "I can dream about you, if I can't hold you tonight...."
Don't Turn Your Back On Me-Who would have thought that on a record mainly filled with cover songs that an original would be the best track on the disc? If you're a Hall & Oates fan then this song has everything you love about them: Sweet soulful vocals, intricate harmonies and sensual wordplay. Musically the song picks up where DIFL left off favoring a vibe reminiscent of "Life's Too Short" and "Getaway Car". "I won't give up on us baby, don't turn your back on me..."
Fading Away-Sometimes cover songs work the best when you're not familiar with the original rendition. That is definitely true with this lost Temptations' gem (written by Smokey Robinson) that Daryl & John give a classic, sensual and soulful acoustically charged reading. A subtle highlight, but a highlight none the less. "Like smoke from a cigarette it's fadin' away..."
Neither One Of Us-Taking the Pips out of the equation was an interesting choice for a duo known for it's harmonies, but surprisingly, it works. Daryl settles in to this song and gives it an emotional feel that tells a story of what once was and what never will be. Truly heart breaking. "Farewell my love.....goodbye"
After The Dance-The song kicks off with Daryl & John's soulful harmonies and the song takes off from there, slinking and pulsating around the vocals. The song is adequate but never really catches fire." Dance with me, come on dance with me baby..."
Rock Steady-T-Bone displays some of his best bass work as the guys have a virtual soul party on this one far surpassing the original. Awesome vocal interplay, driving bass, syncopated horns, what more do you want? This song should be explosive on the live stages in the years to come. "What it is, what it is, what it is...."
Love TKO-An odd choice for a first single (but it does fit the smooth jazz format) the recorded version falls flat in comparison to the live rendition that Daryl has been performing for years, both with and without John. Not great, not bad, just adequate. "Looks like another Love TKO..."
Watcha See Is Watcha Get-John Oates turns in his best vocal performance on a Hall & Oate's song here since 1984's "Possession Obsession". The only problem is the arrangement is cumbersome and as good as his singing is the song never quite feels natural in this treatment by the duo. "I'm as real as real can get and watcha see is watcha get...."
Can't Get Enough Of Your Love-Daryl & John recently began covering this song live and this version has neither the energy nor sensuality of the live rendition. Part of this could be attributed to removing the back up vocals, and in effect John Oates, which is what gave the song a lot of its sensuality. If the live version were Rocky Road I'd have to call this one Vanilla. "My darling I, can't get enough of your love baby...."
You Are Everything-Daryl turns in one of his finest vocal performances that shows off his ageless falsetto. The song is stripped to an acoustic reading that works very well with the nuances in the duos back up vocals. It doesn't stray too far from the original, but an excellent reading regardless. "You are everything, and everything is you...."
I'm Still In Love With You-Sweet hors and sweet soul singing shimmer through this soul classic as Daryl & John play it safe but still manage to put their own signature on it. "Don't you know that I'm still in love with you?"
O-O-H Child-Including one of the sappiest songs ever written seemed like an oddball choice to me at first until the first few seconds of the track unfolded. John begins the song and the track continues with lead vocal interplay that rivals their best shared recordings ("She's Gone", "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"). By the end of the track you can't help but smile and sing along. "Someday, we'll put together what was coming undone, someday we'll tie it all tighter...."
Overall the album is excellent and a worthy follow up to "Do It For Love" as it achieved two things: The duo finally realized their goal of paying their respects to their influences on record and they also provided a look into the future of Hall & Oates. And it appears to be a very strong future indeed.
Description of Our Kind of Soul
Originally Release '05. A "Mostly" covers album. Including "Standing in the Shadows of Love," "I'll Be Around," and "Used to Be My Girl". As well as 2 Bonus Track, " I'll Be Around (Single Edit)" & "I Can Dream About You (Single Edit), N/A In The US version.Our Kind of Soul, the follow-up to 2003's VH1-propelled Do It for Love, is mostly a can't-miss proposition: Daryl Hall's smooth, expressive voice, synonymous with the Philly soul sound, is so well suited to this material that it feels shrink-wrapped overtop. "Can't Get Enough of Your Love," the Barry White classic, is given a breezy makeover (and, maybe more impressively considering that most artists wouldn't touch it, not mangled); Teddy Pendergrass' "Love TKO" is dusted off and tinkered with till it takes on a signature H&O sound; and "After the Dance," one of Marvin Gaye's most cryptic compositions, comes across like a solved mystery--there's a gentleness and a reverie in the reading will prompt thoughtful listeners to return to it more than a few times. That said, a couple of these covers--the O'Jays "Used to Be My Girl" and Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady"--seem cursory, and the duo can count on a cranky contingent decrying their lack of fresh material. But the strength of three songs introduced here should keep them at bay. First track "Let Love Take Control" gutsily and convincingly glides into Four Tops' "Standing in the Shadows of Love," "Soul Violins" strikes notes at once heartfelt and spontaneous, and "Don't Turn Your Back" has the classic Hall & Oates marks of their-kind-of-soul songs like "Out of Touch." --Tammy La Gorce
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