Shakura S'Aida is an adept and powerful Blues, Jazz, and R&B singer. Her best asset, though, might be her skill as a performer. The 12 tracks on her sophomore recording Brown Sugar sound spontaneous, enthusiastic, and unaffected. She's comfortable with all the broad stylistic ground she covers. The album isn't as risqué as the title would suggest. Two tracks, “Brown Sugar” and “Sweet Spot,” are chock full of suggestive lyrics, but the other ten songs tackle themes like heartache, spirituality, love, and hard knocks.
A gritty, unaccompanied blues guitar riff opens the CD and the gutsy first track “Mr. Right.” It's a ballsy sound that announces the artist's dynamic presence. She pulls out all the stops and wails like Etta James or B.B. King. After the bold introduction S'Aida pulls back a little and demonstrates her range. The funky, danceable “Walk Out That Door” cooks and “Gonna Tell My Baby” simmers with quiet intensity and then boils over. “Angels On High” is a prayerful Gospel lament and a great example of how authentic and poised S'Aida is. She performs it without a trace of self-consciousness. The track is offered as a download on Shakura's website with the proceeds going to a Haiti relief organization. “Chasing The Sun” is a foot-tapping R&B track that feels like a Stevie Wonder song. Genres are even mixed in the same song. In “Missing The Good And The Bad” the band slips from a laid-back jazzy jump-blues, to a slow, heavy Muddy Waters style, and finally back to up-tempo jumpin' and jivin'.
All these styles orbit the blues and Shakura sounds natural as a blues singer. As a vocalist she's excellent and as a performer she's top-notch. It's easy to imagine her acting on stage and on screen, both of which she's done. The band backing her up on Brown Sugar is notable, too. The musician's are solid and her songwriting cohort and lead guitarist Donna Grantis burns on heavy blues solos heard throughout the album. I'd say the disc is a genuine success.
Best Tracks: Chasing The Sun, This Is Not A Love Song, Angels Heard On High
July 8, 2010
