Soul II Soul was one of the most influential and outstanding R&B/soul groups of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Some of their songs like “Back to Life” and “Keep on Movin’” continue to be played more than three decades later.
Several of their more obscure pieces are worth the search, including the Grammy winning “African Dance” and hidden gems like “In the Still of the Night” and “Love Enough.”
By the mid 1990s, Soul II Soul was clearly fading and “Volume III” and “Volume V” did not leave much of a mark. By the time 1997 came around, the group released “Time for Change” which helped lead to Soul II Soul disbanding the next year.
The album starts off with “Camdino Soul,” a groovy instrumental piece that serves more as pleasant background music than anything else.
The album starts off with “Camdino Soul,” a groovy instrumental piece that serves more as pleasant background music than anything else.
Why was this the first track of the album? And why did it need to go almost 8 minutes? Not a bad track but it certainly outstayed its welcome and is an odd choice for the leadoff spot. “Pleasure Dome” is next up and was the closest thing this album had to a single.
Trying to bring a religious message into the song didn’t quite click though the vocals by Ray Simpson are fine, even if the lyrics and rhymes are mediocre at best.
This is a forgettable track. Things slow down as Maureen Mason takes over lead vocals in “Thank You.” Not a bad track but, again, it simply does not stand out.
The distinct vocals of Jazzy B. come through in “Dare to Differ” which offers something of a look back to some of the songs from “Volume I” and “Volume II.” But what seemed fresh in 1989 and 1990 was stale by 1997.
Lain Luther is next on vocals on “Get Away,” a bland song that fails to connect. Simpson comes back for “Love Ain’t Around,” a soulful ballad that, again, falls flat as the pieces are greater than the sum of the parts.
“Represent” is something of an improvement but it does not stand out--which is odd since it was a single that flopped. Charlotte Kelly and Jazzy B. team up on the title track which gets on base but just barely. Lost in the back of the album is “I Feel Love,” easily the most upbeat song on the album and a solid outing from Simpson and Mason but this song drags, going more than six and a half minutes. “Limit in the Sky” and a remix of “Represent” put the album to bed on a forgettable note.
The songs range from bland to forgettable with occasional bright spots. The word I keep coming back to though is “stale.” Like many of the songs here, Soul II Soul outstayed their welcome and never quite evolved. That’s too bad since there was a moment when the group excelled.
The songs range from bland to forgettable with occasional bright spots. The word I keep coming back to though is “stale.” Like many of the songs here, Soul II Soul outstayed their welcome and never quite evolved. That’s too bad since there was a moment when the group excelled.
Track listing
1. Camdino Soul - 7:44
2. Pleasure Dome (Lead Vocals – Ray Simpson) - 4:36
3. Thank You (Lead Vocals – Maureen Mason) - 5:22
4. Dare To Differ (Lead Vocals – Jazzie B) - 4:36
5. Get Away (Lead Vocals – Lain Luther) - 4:47
6. Love Ain't Around (Lead Vocals – Ray Simpson) - 4:47
7. Represent (Lead Vocals – Paul Johnson) - 6:49
8. Time For Change (Lead Vocals – Charlotte, Jazzie B) - 4:15
9. I Feel Love (Lead Vocals – Maureen Mason, Ray Simpson) - 6:43
10. Limit Is The Sky (Lead Vocals – Ray Simpson) - 5:13
Companies, etc.
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Island Records Ltd.
- Made By – PMDC, Germany
Credits
- Design, Art Direction – Stylorouge
- Engineer – Eugene 'Engenius' Ellis* (tracks: 9), Lee Hamblin (tracks: 1 to 8, 10)
- Engineer [Assistant] – Ed Colman, Jamie Ewart, Tom Smyth (tracks: 4, 7), Tony Matthew, Zoe Roehrich
- Photography By – Regan Cameron
Notes
Released: September 1997
Genre: RnB/Swing, House, Dub
Syles: Acid Jazz, Downtempo
Length: 54:58
Label - Island Records
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