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Elly Roberts reviews
Eastside Records
- Released: October 2006
- Rating: 8/10
Wow! Things are certainly blooming in Natalie WilliamsSecret Garden its a wonderfully colourful place to visit.
For those seeking contemporary jazz, soul, RnB fusion, its the cutting edgeplace to checkout. This smooth and lush offering, sees Williams singing at hersultry best, reminiscent of Randy Crawfords 1980s heyday.
Co-written and produced with Drew Horley (Roots Manuva/Estelle/TY) itscredible enough to be critically lauded. Its bound to be a commercial success,with Williams delivering a real gem along with a long list of musicians (toomany to mention) doing a brilliant job. Her huskified and cultured vocals sether apart from her contemporaries.
Taking her cues from classic artists like Herbie Hancock, Donny Hathaway,Chick Corea theres a fascinating choice of songs to convince you shes noone hit wonder.
All songs are well crafted with appeal across the board, from daytime radioplaylists to late night love songs. When needed the production and arrangementsare sharp and punchy the Latino-inflected The Way Like It, jazzyRnB To Know You Is To Love You and chunky club-orientated The Nanny.
Elsewhere sensitive attention to detail surfaces on classic Soul-styledinfluences such as Motownesque This Girl, with its rich retro openingwhich neatly slips into clever RnB beats.
A James Bond-type Psychedelic Love finds Williams on top over vocalgame, with vocals gently floating ahead of dreamlike backups.
Conversations brilliant duet with Urban-Soul babe magnet Nate Jamesis a great example of the flexibility of her blossoming talent.
Nice and loungy, Settle The Score is perfect easy listening without thesaccharine, whereas the bluesy-jazz of Since Youve Been Gone shows herstylistic crossover skills.
Five minutes plus of funky jazz of You Dont Know with lengthyinstrumental breaks would make a superb single.
This girl can now give Mary J. Blige and Jamelia a serious run for their money.
It isnt cerebral stuff lyrically its classy and sophisticated pop at itsbest. Natalie Williams set out to make an album that she and her peers wouldbe proud of. Shes achieved her goal, and seemingly effortless at that.
A major star in the making.
Weblinks: myspace.com/natwilliams
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Secret Garden
2. Butterfly
3. The Way We Fee Like It
4. Psychedelic Love
5. This Girl
6. Settle The Score
7. Dance For Me
8. Does It Feel Good
9. Wall
10. Conversation
11. You Dont Know
12. To Know You Is To Love You
13. Since Youve Been Gone
14. The Nanny
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.