New 'Old School'

A lot of the buzz in the recording industry nowadays has to do with Old School music being updated for today’s audience. The success of the music of Amy Winehouse, Solange Knowles, Duffy and the new albums of John Legend point to how this respect and reverential nod to music from the past, rechanneled and tweaked to be relevant and fresh, has considerable appeal. There’s some Old School magic in today’s three CDs.

Love & Life — Eric Benet (Warner Music). This one is like a shot from the past, with Eric Benet channeling Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Babyface, the Commodores, and himself. If one takes a listen to the current output of artists like John Legend, one will appreciate how Eric is the genuine thing, an “Old School” R&B crooner. And the CD has mature confession written all over it, akin to the CDs that Mary J. Blige comes out with (wonder what ex-wife Halle Berry thinks). The midtempo, slow burn numbers dominate the first half of the CD, with Don’t Let Go and Everlove, the standouts. The tempo percolates with tracks like Iminluvwichoo and Spanish Fly, and this is one of those CDs that one can just leave on, as the tracks just flow, much like Marvin’s I Want You CD.

The DEY Has Come — The DEY (Sony BMG). The DEY are Divine, Elan, and Ye-Yo. Transplanted Puerto Ricans, the DEY may come off as a Latino copycat of the Black-Eyed Peas, but they do have something genuine to offer and show off their musical influences (including salsa) to make a sound that’s unique enough. The single Give You The World samples Earth Wind & Fire’s Fantasy, while I Miss You samples Everything But The Girl’s Missing. These are done really smartly and I loved the results. There’s something very Wyclef about She Said, and the number has great vocals coming from sole female member, Elan. Timbaland does production chores on some of the cuts, and I liked how they shifted, rapping in English and Spanish.

Finally — Iya Villania (Viva Records). As the title suggests, this really is a case of Finally as Iya first came to our attention years ago, when as a young teenager, she was the front act at an Australian concert of Martin Nievera. She blossomed into a wonderful host and actress, but what caught our original attention, her singing, took a back seat. So we finally have her first CD, and it fits like an old glove. There are no real surprises here, but well-selected ballads and mid-tempo numbers that keep us squarely in her corner. Some interesting choices are Alice Cooper’s I’ll Never Cry and the duet of Always with Jay-R. Bonus tracks include the one Tagalog song, Takaw Tingin (composed for her Silka endorsement), and the Circle of 10 Palmolive song.