Search - Beverley Knight :: Affirmation

Better

Nasser Alqatami | 09/05/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"British R&B is on the rise, what with Jamelia conquering the charts and many other bands that have given life to union jack soul. One of those bottom-dwellers that are sung heroes is Beverly Knight. Entering a market that is not very friendly to soul and excelling throughout time. One might remember Knight from her past victories, such as her debut album Prodigal Sista, which made the MOBOs happy but failed to cross borders, stating this is not to undermine the quality of this soultress's efforts.



Who I Am, her second album, managed to establish profound ground and further launch her name. Garnering hits such as the loud perseverance anthem 'Get Up' and the ballad `Gold.' She also notched up another hit with 'Shoulda Coulda Woulda,' empowering many and building a number of admirers. Who I Am was a sophomore effect that did not suffer from the infamous downfall.



Knight revisits the charts with the new hit song 'Come as You Are,' which surprises everyone as it is a tribute to rock music and is a strikingly defined tune.



This third album, Affirmation, is both a departure from older albums and an enhancement of previous styles. As 'Not Too Late for Love' portrays an escalation from latter singles in the way of soul balladry.



There are some stand-out tracks on Affirmation. The breath-taking 'Tea & Sympathy' takes center stage along with the melancholy bliss of 'Salvador,' which displays a lot of pain for a long lost special person from disease.



Other triumphs include 'Straight Jacket' and 'Fatal Factor.' Otherwise the album settles with mediocre ditties like 'First Time' and 'No One Ever Loves In Vain.'



Knight has released her best album yet, however is will be hard to determine whether she will marvel in the world of Javines and Jamelia's. 'Keep This Fire Burning' is a treat that describes Beverly. It is a track strong on melody and lyrics, but doesn't concentrate on the general mass's yearning for something glitzy and hip. Knight is not afraid to play with beats and genres to carve out beats that are consistent and delicious. Sometimes knight's balladry turns out to be flavorless and MOR. However, the other tracks make up for it.



Affirmation is an evolution to the better.

"

BRIT-SOUL AT ITS FINEST

Hernan Igot | Maryland, USA | 08/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Beverley Knight has been pretty popular in the UK, but here in the US she's relatively an unknown...That's too bad because a lotta people have been missing out on this amazing R&B/hip-hop/soul talent. "Affirmation," her latest album, is arguably her best album, even though she distances herself from the realm of R&B/hip-hop. The production on the songs here state that she's more interested in just being free with whatever her music sounds like, which the alternative/acoustic-driven soul numbers do indicate poignantly. Not only that, but the radio friendly sheen and her amazing voice make this an incredible package of great tracks. Here's a track-by-track review of the album:



1. "Come As You Are" - The first single and a stunning on in fact. It builds up during the end. It sounds rockish at first, but it's got a very Motown reference to it, especially the explosive gospel-like ending. Great track!



2. "Not Too Late For Love" - The second single and it's lush. Very mature and very nostalgic at the same time. It's got great potential to be played live because of its production (which basically reflects most of the mood of the album). A subtle classic.



3. "First Time" - One of the most emotional tracks on the album, this slow number was cowritten by Coldplay's Christ Martin. That explains the graceful piano. It's really an amazing track.



4. "Straight Jacket" - Definitely one of the standout tracks on the album. It's full of drama and melancholy. It's one of the moodiest tracks on the album. The alternative sound of the guitar mixed with soulful vocal histrionics makes this an epic of a track. Beverley Knight sings with such conviction.



5. "Keep This Fire Burning" - One of the lighter tracks on the album, yet still heavy on production. It's midtempo mixed with a cut-up strings in order to make it sound more hip. It's a sophisticated almost club track.



6. "No One Ever Loves In Vain" - Another slow piano-laden track. Beverley Knight belts out with this song and it's a very good track (full of emotion).



7. "Affirmation" - Another moody track. It's not as directly poweful as "Straight Jacket," yet it's atmospheric subtleties make it an endearing track. Slowly builds, but still empowering.



8. "Supasonic" - Another lite track. It's a very chill, yet pretty midtempo track. Many people think it's Beverley's Take On Prince. Pretty damn good chanelling attempt there. It's funky.



9. "Tea And Sympathy" - Has an almost classical feel to it because of the orchestration. Brings a scene of tea time in a Victorian garden mixed with hip-hop beats. It's very adult contemporary, but very sweet and sentimental too.



10. "Below My Radar" - One of, if not, the dreamiest track in the album. It brings an image of looking out the window while riding a car in a long road with the cool wind blowing against your face and blue sky. Very slow and chilled out, yet nice.



11. "Under The Same Sun" - Not quit a super slow track, but less than midtempo, it's almost playful. It's a subtle track where Beverley doesn't sing too hard.



12. "Till I See Ya" - Sounds exactly like Black-Eyed Peas' "Where Is The Love?" with the orchestration and production, but Beverley Knight carries on with grace and finesse in this track. Love the guitar parts to it too.



13. "Salvador" - Another moody, yet subtle track. It's production is eerie, plus there's some Latin elements to it. It's a poignant, emotional track about AIDS, but Beverley didn't need to oversing to make this track bounce out. It's subtle, yet potent.



14. "Remember Me" - The most bare moment in the album: it's just Bev and the piano (not much in production). Amazing vocals on this track. Great way to end an emotional roller coaster of an album...Or is it?...



15. "Fatal Factor" (UK bonus track) - Just as "Remember Me" ends the album in a slow pace, this explosive track comes along much like "Come As You Are" busted into the opening. It's very groove-like and almost a club track, but it's almost got some gospel in it. A nice contemporary R&B/hip-hop track and a truly great way to finish such an amazing album.



Over all, Bev's topped the promises she's made on her last 3 albums. This fourth one is no exception and her current moment to shine. It's amazing and should be highly regarded! Good luck to her in the future!

"

It isn't possible to praise this Lady enough.

S. Hebbron | Leicester UK | 06/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ms Knight has been a side-line contender of British r+b/soul

for several years, I can never figure if being on the side line is her choice or that the tough Music Industry has made it that way because they prefer to market very young artists such as Jamelia (infinitely less talented than Ms Knight in my opinion).

I suspect the reason Ms Knight remains somewhat sidelined is a combination of the two reasons, I think she has the view that the slick production, writing and vocal dexterity is of greater importance to her than over-hyped marketing of her work.

While this adds a certain cache of quality to her music it does mariginalise her appeal, which is the shame because she does what she does so incredibly well. This album is a great testament to her talent, beautifully and skillfuly written tracks which are indeed about affirmation at many levels. But it is always her voice which is the unique selling point, clear, crisp, with amazing range and dexterity and the ability to crystalise an emotion in a moment of pure auditory pleasure.

She can truely send you and both ensnare and clearly communicate a feeling in her art form, the sign of a truely accomplished artist. I will not give you a account of each track as that has been done well enough here, suffice to say the album is beautiful and sublime and a worthy addition to any collection.

"