Thursday, March 28, 2024

Will Downing’s Black Pearls (WD Productions): A Record Reflection by A. Scott Galloway

*Those who have been following and adoring “Prince of Sophisticated Soul” Will Downing since he bowed in 1988 know that from his self-titled debut album onward, he has made a cottage industry out of contouring hits made famous by women into sultry delights from a man’s point of view.

Beginning with Deniece Williams’ “Free” and Rose Royce’s “Wishing on a Star,” nearly every album has contained such interpretations. He could have easily made an anthology out of what he has waxed thus far. However, for his latest project, Black Pearls, Brother Downing instead offers up ten fresh chopped logs for that roaring fire of femme soul gems. The result is one of his most warmly and nostalgically cohesive projects to date yet problematic in terms of ambition and reach.

The first thing that must be said is Downing hurled himself some Herculean challenges with the repertoire chosen. As what his peer Alexander O’Neal would term an “All True A&R Man,” Will didn’t just pick any old songs made famous by soul sisters. He hand-picked “classiques” that are truly signature and definitive by some of the greatest vocalists of the `70s and `80s plus unimpeachably composed, arranged and produced by some of the finest masters that ever did the damn thing. Ever! Let the record show that this fact has been duly recognized and appreciated.

The CD gets off to a glowing start with what happens to be among the most recent of the songs, Cherrelle’s 1988 hit “Everything I Miss At Home,” originally penned and produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. In mackalicious mode, Will handles this slow jam from the digital era with smooth, cool aplomb. Pretty much ditto for “Your Smile,” originally penned, arranged and produced by `Angela Winbush in 1985 when she was in the duo Rene’ & Angela. Here with a tastefully updated arrangement, Will gets beneath the groove with assurance and soul.

The acoustic guitar and strings employed for Will’s take on Brenda Russell’s mid 80s evergreen “Get Here” (also made famous by Oleta Adams) inspires a tender reading from Downing, though the quantized track leaves little room for nuance. Ditto here, too, for Will’s version of Chicago sister trio the Emotions’ 1977 tearjerker “Don’t Ask My Neighbors” from the pen of Skip Scarborough, originally produced by the mighty-mighty duo of Charles Stepney and Earth Wind & Fire leader Maurice White. Downing kicks this one over a slightly accelerated track yet in a voice as confessional and empathetic as a late night phone call. The thing is Will is methodical on these songs – all of which he palpably loves – but the ladies who rocked them before him left a piece of their soul on the o.g. vinyl wax. And things only get tougher for Will as he proceeds into what his friend Maysa once sang of as ‘Deep Waters.’

READ RELATED STORY: THE PULSE OF ENTERTAINMENT: GRAMMY NOMINATED WILL DOWNING BRINGS SEXY MALENESS TO ‘BLACK PEARLS’

That realization is painfully evident on “Street Life” made famous by fire-starter Miss Randy Crawford in a guest vocal role with Texas twisters The Crusaders in 1979.  Will glides through these streets as if in a limo passing through. Randy wailed it as if she was jack-hammering at midnight on 110th Street circa `75. Will gets his groove on. Randy wore your grooves out! To be fair, the keyboard and sax solos are respectful nods to Joe Sample and Wilton Felder, both recently departed.

Rufus featuring Chaka Khan’s “Everlasting Love” from `77 works right into Will’s strengths with layered baritone to falsetto vocal flights, but his ad libs on the coda lack convincing (again, he’s coming behind Chaka here, for God’s sake). Next Will returns to the canon of Deniece Williams with “Black Butterfly” (originally produced by George Duke) only this time of a song that is nothing short of an anthem for black women, utilized for everything from college graduations to memorial services. Will bows to the poetry of the lyric but remains vocally earthbound where Niecy belted this one to the sun…a tough procession to follow.

For matching the grandeur of the original, Will comes closest with “Nights Over Egypt,” immortalized by Detroit sisters The Jones Girls with lyrics by Philly Soul goddess Cynthia Biggs and music by composer/orchestrator extraordinaire Dexter Wansel. Sticking closely to the original masterpiece, Downing and company float on the mystic eastern vibration with flutes, groove, strings and Downing’s own otherworldly overdubbed vocalizing.

The song that inspired Downing to conceive his Black Pearls project is the late, great Phyllis Hyman’s heart-stilling “Meet Me On The Moon,” composed by the masterful Eugene McDaniels with lyricist Carrie Thompson. Fittingly, Will brings manly grace to this slice of Heaven that is tragically marred by the worst mid-song instrumental solo (synth harmonica) since that God-awful sax solo on Streisand’s original recording of “Here We Are At Last.” All aforementioned parties deserved better than that…but Will otherwise leaves a piece of his heart on this one for Phyllis. And he sashays out the stereo door with a cruise through soul-jazz chanteuse Jean Carn’s “Don’t Let It Go To Your Head,” originally from the pen and production cache of Philly Soul godfathers Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff.

Longtime lovers of the originals should enjoy yet not be bowled over by the majority of these sacred soul gems, but fans of Will Downing will find Black Pearls a mellow stroll down Memory Lane on the arm of a respectful gentleman

A Scott Galloway

(A. Scott Galloway is a freelance music journalist based in Los Angeles. Contact him via: [email protected])

 

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