CD Review: Earth Wind & Fire: Illumination (2005 Pop Music)

From: Bob Davis (earthjuice_at_prodigy.net)
Date: 2005-09-27 02:05:12

  • Next message: Bob Davis: "[acid-jazz] CD Review: Will Hart (Formerly of the Delfonics): Fonic Zone (Urban/Slow Jams/Electronica)"

    Earth Wind & Fire: Illumination
    (2005 Pop Music)

    Earth, Wind and Fire is one of the most legendary performers in the history of Black music.
    The very first concert I ever attended was in 1972 at Hofstra University with Earth, Wind and
    Fire and Zuleema. And subsequent to that I have seen them many times in concert. Therefore
    they are one of my all time farorite artists (along with millions of other people). However
    their music has been a source of continuing disapointment for me since the 1980's. Yet I still
    continue to root for them, because I'm an "old fart" and I remember when they were truly a
    force to be rekoned with.

    When I first heard about this album, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. This lastest
    effort by EWF called "Illumination" has guest stars like Black Eyed Peas, Raphael Saadiq, Big
    Boi, Kelly Rowland and Sleepy Brown, Floetry, Brian McKnight, Kenny G, I was at a loss to
    understand what EWF was trying to accomplish.

    I wondered if they were "selling out" (again??) or perhaps just trying to incorporate the
    sounds modern popular music into their classic sound? I also wondered how this project would
    sound when compared to the magnificent CD I reviewed early in 2005 called "Devoted Spirits"
    (EWF tribute w/former members of EWF). After listening to the CD, I am still confused. I'm
    tempted to say that this is "sell out 2", because it doesn't really sound like an EWF album,
    it's pretty much "devoid of funk" and the "guest stars" bring little to the table beyond name
    recongnition My favorites from this album "Love's Dance" (with echoes of "Mighty Mighty"). I
    also liked the song "Pass You By" (Has a nice "Neo Soul" feel to it). "Too You" features Brian
    McKnight sounding an awful lot like Maurice White (sounds a little like "After The Love Has
    Gone"). The remake of “The Way You Move” featuring Kenny G. is awful. Everything else is
    mediocre.

    At the end I find myself still confused. If this was an album by a brand new artist, I would
    say that they had a lot of potential for the future. But it isn't an album by a brand new
    artist. It's an album by one of Black Music's legends along with a cross section of the most
    popular musical artists of the decade. This may ultimatly work out well for EWF as a marketing
    move, they have already gotten quite a bit of TV exposure and I hope that it makes them a lot
    of money and introduces them to a new generation of fans.

    However strictly on a musical tip, for EWF this is an average CD, if you are a longtime fan,
    this CD will probably make you yawn if you focued on it intensely. If you had it on in the
    background, you would probably hardly even notice it was there. However in today’s marketplace
    some people might think it’s pretty good, and maybe that’s good enough.

    I'm confused...(maybe I'll just have to listen to it a few more times before I "get it"???)

    Track Listing For
    1. Lovely People feat. Will-I-Am of the Black Eyed Peas
    2. Pure Gold
    3. A Talking Voice Interlude
    4. Love's Dance
    5. Show Me the Way feat. Raphael Saadiq
    6. This Is How I Feel feat. Big Boi, Kelly Rowland and Sleepy Brown
    7. Work it Out
    8. Pass You By
    9. The One
    10. Elevated feat. Floetry
    11. Liberation
    12. To You feat. Brian McKnight
    13. Bonus Track: The Way You Move feat. Kenny G

    --------------------
    Bob Davis
    earthjuice_at_prodigy.net
    --------------------
    <a href="http://www.soul-patrol.com"> SURF THE: SOUL-PATROL.COM WEBSITE</a>
    <a href="http://www.soul-patrol.com/newsletter"> JOIN THE FREE BI-WEEKLY: SOUL-PATROL
    NEWSLETTER</a>
    <a href="http://www.soul-patrol.net"> LISTEN TO: SOUL-PATROL.NET RADIO </a>
    <a href="http://www.soul-patrol.com/chat"> INTERACT & LISTEN: SOUL-PATROL CHAT ROOM </a>