Even the most cursory look at the roster of performers on the soundtrack from the recent film “Brown Sugar” should inspire both excitement and trepidation.
The album’s 14 tracks, plus one bonus song from newcomer Jully Black, are populated by most of the A-list of the movement that has, for better or worse, been dubbed “neo-soul.” The movement includes Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, Angie Stone, Cassandra Wilson and Jill Scott, along with some like-minded hip-hop artists such as Mos Def, Hi-Tek, Common, The Roots, Blackalicious.
Any gathering of such a high-powered group and the potential on paper held by such a gathering runs a high risk of disappointment.
Luckily, Brown Sugar is a consistently good collection of songs, marked by a consistent intelligence and passion. The album’s best tracks are lead by its strong roster of female artists.
As good as most of the album is, the clear highlight is Angie Stone’s “Bring Your Heart,” a gently funky ballad built around a tasteful and tasty piano line sampled from an old track by soul great Jerry Butler. Unlike so much neo-soul, which disappointingly lacks a solid rhythmic foundation, “Bring Your Heart” grooves soulfully as Stone wraps her deep and clear voice around the lyrics.
Even with the great Mary J. Blige on this record, Stone’s track comes the closest to both old-school soul and gospel. Blige’s “Never Been” is a solid mid-tempo ballad with typically powerful vocals from the queen of hip-hop soul. Blackalicious, featuring Lateef the Truth Speaker and Keke Wyatt, contribute the record’s best straight hip-hop track with “It’s Going Down,” four minutes of Blackalicious’ typical brand of smart, hook-heavy funk.
Mos Def’s “Breakdown” benefits from the insistent horn line buried in the background. A classic Eric B. and Rakim track comes back out of the box with “Paid in Full (7 Minutes of Madness — The Coldcut Remix),” a frenetic mishmash of samples and sound that should provide any nonbeliever with the answer to the question posed by the film’s tagline — namely, “When did you first fall in love with hip-hop?”
The album’s first single, “Love of My Life,” performed by Erykah Badu with an appearance by Common, is a subtle and seductive tribute both to first loves and hip-hop. The song’s theme is revisited in “Act Too (Love of My Life) (Remix)” from The Roots.
Cassandra Wilson gives a typically outstanding vocal performance on her version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” on which Wilson’s breathless and smoky vocal style infuses what is arguably Lauper’s best composition with a nuance and richness that would be unprecedented if it weren’t for Miles Davis’ famous jazz instrumental version. It’s a heartbreakingly beautiful track.
Not all on Brown Sugar is of such high quality, however. Three versions of the title track, all performed by Mos Def (joined by Faith Evans on the first version, joining Talib Kweli as Black Star for the second), are too much, despite the typically entertaining and intense performance from Mos Def, whose scattered appearances on this and other records over the past two years make his belated return to making records all the more acute.
“No One Knows Her Name,” from Hi-Tek with Big D and Piakhan is no better than mediocre. Jill Scott’s “Easy Conversation” is good but in no way remarkable.
The same can be said for Rahsaan Peterson’s “You Make Life So Good,” although Peterson’s preaching and sliding vocals, along with the track-saving background singers, make this one only a near miss.
Still, there is nothing truly bad on this album. For a multi-artist soundtrack, Brown Sugar‘s consistency is its greatest virtue. With its high-powered lineup delivering a solid slate of new material and with a couple of truly standout tracks, Brown Sugar is as strong an R&B record as has been released this year.
Grade: B
