A Few Classic Cuts, A Few Clunkers
04/05/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I'm a big D-Influence fan, and I wasn't disappointed by this CD. But I do miss the fact that Sarah Anne Webb is no longer a member of the group. She obviously added a lot to the creative process, because the only song on the album that sounds like older D-Influence stuff is the one that she did with the rest of the group. That may show us the problem with this album. Kwame and Steve (apparently, the only two members now) are brilliant musicians, but they seem to allow too much creative freedom for each "D-Va" that has a song with them on the album. The results are that for the first time in four D-Influence albums, there's actually a bad song. "Wishing" (featuring Deed) features awful lyrics, clumsy vocal arrangements, and bad singing. "I Wanna Know You" features really amateurish vocals by the featured D-Va on that song (whose name I can't remember). And there are one or two other regrettable moments. However, the rest of the CD is pretty good, and some of the songs are just absolutely brilliant. The best cut is "Taste of Bitter Love," which is a remake of an obscure Gladys Knight & the Pips song, but in D-I's hands, it sounds like a latter day Paradise Garage dance classic. This song alone makes the album worth having. The other remake, "32 Flavours," is another outstanding cut. Probably 4 or 5 other cuts are worthy of serious praise. In general, this is an album worth having if you are a D-Influence fan. If you're unfamiliar with their stuff, I would suggest buying any of their other 3 albums, especially "London," before this one. These are neo-soul/alternative R&B classics, while much of this CD sounds more like British radio oriented R&B. I will say this: I didn't like Floetry's album, either. If you like Floetry, then pick this one up. Marsha from Floetry co-wrote a couple of the songs on "D-Vas" that I can do without, but they are better to me than anything on Floetry's album."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1