Customer Reviews

Back to Now

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

They're baaaaaaaaaaaaack!!! And, not a minute too soon. Patti, Nona & Sarah still have it all goin' on! An amazing album!

Patti's soaring soulful vocals; Nona's optimal funk; and, Sarah's exquisite harmonizing have always been the stuff of Musical Legend. Labelle is still fresh after 32 long years of absence from the Music Scene.

Having had the privilege of bearing witness to their many 'incarnations' from the Bluebelles to their solo careers, this musically jaded writer can sincerely say this is one of their top musical endeavors.

Don't wait for Santa to be kind to you - get this fabulous album now. You'll be playing it over and over and discovering new delights each time you play it. BRAVA DIVAS!!!

The "try-too-hard-to-be-trendy" single "Rollout" is the only misstep on this otherwise excellent album from the reunited Labelle. Producers Lenny Kravitz and the legendary Kenneth Gamble step back and let the girls robust harmonies and interplay shine on such smashing originals as "Candlelight", "Superlover", "System" and "How Long". Even when the trio gets sappy on "Tears for the World", the girl's hearts still shine. But the real highlight here is the smoking cover of the 70s rock/r&b band Mother's Finest song "The Truth Will Set You Free".

Patti's over-the-top vocal performances are in check, and Nona and Sarah definitely make their presence known. Labelle has always been a group where the background vocals are just as important as the lead vocals. One of the best r&b albums released in a long time. Welcome back, Labelle!

Obviously many classic soul lovers have been awaiting this for a very long time-finally Sarah Dash and the incomparable Nona Hendryx team back up with the now solo diva Patti Labelle for a full fledged reuinion. 'Back To Know' features the production help of both contempo musicians Wyclef Jean and Lenny Kravitz along with old Labelle pals Gamble & Huff for this gutsy,funky soul fest-full of those high energy gospel shouts and harmony's that Sarah,Nona and Patti can give us. All of the songs are excellent-even "Rollout";the only cut obviously designed to "reach the kids" of the new millenium with it's bass heavy hip-hop/pro-tools softwhere sound. Aside from that all of the music here could easily have been ripped from a late 70's follow up to Labelle's last album Chameleon (a classic more then worth hunting down);"Candlelight","Superlover" and "System" all explore the waters of soul,gospel drenched R&B and hardcore funk before each tune is out. Lenny Kravitz' presense makes itself clear on "Truth Will Set You Free",a tough funk rocker reminding us not only that Labelle were one of the earliest female groups to combine funk and rock but that none of that spark has faded with time or seperation. Even if the music world of today welcomes them the world Labelle are making a comeback in has changed dramatically. We've moved waaaay beyond Marvin Gaye's concerns about an "overcrowded land" with "fish full of mercury";we have global warming,a disintigrating economy and paranoia about terrorism. In their tradition Labelle over up almost half an albums worth of messages songs,all with a different motivation-in "Tears For The World" documents in traditional funk message song style a litany of todays problems and our unexpected apathy towards them;that maybe showing feeling might bring people to act."Dear Rosa" is a tribute to the late civil rights pioneer-thanking her for her efforts but somberly pointing out that she died before you dream was fully realized. On "How Long" and "Miss Otis Regrets" stories of triumph and wonder prevail and we as the listener really feel we've experienced something magical,and we have. It would be a pitty if this was the last we heard of Labelle as a unit but if it is this would be a worthy,if long long delayed,goodbye.

Labelle has not missed a beat 30 years hence !! These women have the same funky fire they had in the 70s. My favorites are Candlelight and Superlover, but every one of these is groovy, on a righteous tip, slamming, banging, whatever term you wanna use from whatever decade.

I know Labelle's history and I know that they are a talent unmatched by any other group male or female. But I just knew that they were going to come back with some mess, well one listen to the first song "Candlelight" and I knew then that the mess that I thought they were going to throw out here is far from what I thought. In fact I had to tell myself "that's what you get for thinking that you know what you don't." After 30 plus years they have come back with a masterpiece. You can listen to all 10 songs and hear the artistry that went into them. The real instruments and the harmony is pure magic. There is nothing on the market that sounds like this CD. The single "Rollout" is just a fun diddy for the ladies which Patti shouts out in a meaningful manner. Labelle, you have come back to now not with a good CD, not with a great CD but with a masterpiece. Oh and Miss Otis Regrets from 1970 (i think) is on there to let the people know that they don't sound too different from way back then. I'm not an awards type person but this is really Grammy material.

This is the album that many Labelle fans have been waiting for since their last album "Chameleon" in 1976. It picks up right where they left off and Patti, Nona and Sarah all sound amazing. The first time I listened to "Back To Now", it brought me back to the mid-70's era. This is REAL soul music inflected with some cool funky vibes. When you listen to "Candlelight" the opening track, you hear Lenny Kravitz's production stamp all over it. What a great collaboration! The first single, "Rollout" featuring Wyclef Jean is infectious but I think the autotune production is a bit unnecessary. Also, I find that the melody sounds very similar to Roberta Flack's late-80's hit "Oasis". Take a listen to both tunes and see for yourself.

My favorite track on the album is "System" - quintessential Nona Hendryx lyrics with real sweaty funk. I love it more and more each time I hear it. "Dear Rosa" is an epic and couldn't be more timely; President-elect Obama would be proud to hear a song like this and hopefully it will further inspire him!

The closing track "Miss Otis Regrets" is the remake of the Cole Porter classic with Labelle's vocals that were recorded in 1970. They sound incredible and it blends harmoniously with the tracks that were recorded more recently.

I highly recommend this album to Labelle fans everywhere. Enjoy.

Labelle is a trio comprising Nona Hendrix, Sarah Dash and Patti Labelle. "Back to now" is their first studio album in some 32 years. I have to confess, before this album, all I'd ever heard from them was their mega smash "Lady marmalade".

First time I listened to this album, I thought it was too downbeat (especially as the CD cover depicts such energy) with all the songs sounding alike. Wyclef being one of my favourite producers/artistes, I thought lead-off single "Rollout" produced by him would be the standout on the CD. The song is bouncy and Island-tinged with Patti's voice processed using autotune in parts. It is catchy, but is nowhere near the best song on the CD.

The CD comprises 10 songs most with a retro feel, four of which range from mid to uptempo ("Rollout", the Gamble/Huff produced Motown-sounding "How long" with lyrics looking at how mankind is stripping the earth without replenishing, the rock-edged "Truth will set you free", and the Lenny Kravitz production of "System" a great mellow horn peppered Funk/Rock hybrid), while the other six are ballads.

Opening is the retro soul ballad "Candlelight". "Superlover" is one of my favourites and Patti gives a gentle yet heartfelt vocal delivery against a backdrop of soothing harmonies. In fact, I must commend Ms Labelle for not over-singing like she usually does. Similar is the lovely string swathed "Without you in my life". "Tears for the world" takes a look at conflict/injustice/sorrow in the world of today, and even mentions that most famous of hurricanes, Katrina. "Ms Otis Regrets" is a reworking of a song they had recorded earlier in 1976, epic and stunning!

Saving the best for the last, "Dear Rosa". What can I say? This tender piano/organ ballad is a letter to Rosa Parks, the lady who sat down so people like Obama could run. The lady whose action was a catalyst to the civil rights movement of the sixties in America. The harmonies are awesome, and I am literally moved to tears each time I listen to it.


A classic!!!

I'll admit it. After hearing the lead single "Roll Out" I was disapointed. It didn't sound like the LaBelle I remember. Auto-Tune... REALLY??? For LaBelle??? Save the Auto-Tune for those that need it. Still, I kept my fingers crossed that the rest of "Back To Now" would live up to the LaBelle name. Thank goodness that turns out to be the case. There are some real gems here. In fact, the four trax that follow "Roll Out" ("Superlover", "System", "The Truth Will Set You Free" and "Without You In My Life") are all superior trax. Nona Hendrix's "System" is just what the doctor ordered. The real LaBelle! The rest of the disc is very strong as well. Don't let the single keep you from buying this album. This release is a worthy sucessor to their last studio album "Chameleon". It doesn't dissapoint. In fact, in context, "Roll Out" is kinda fun... and luckily not representative of the rest of the disc. So... ladies... for the next album, don't wait so friggin' long and use the "System" as a template of the kind of material that will make for a knock out release. And finally... if anyone at Epic / Sony is listening... please release 1975's "Phoenix" on cd. It's so very long overdue.
Time to correct this serious oversight!

jd

When I heard, some years back, that Labelle was planning a reunion album
I wasn't particularly excited, to tell you the truth. How many times have
you seen a movie sequel that was 10 years too late, or heard a reunion of some singing group that went through the motions only for the promise of
a big paycheck? I must say this CD is very, very good. The songs are not
quite as hard-edged as the Classic Labelle period, but they still have a
lot of substance, and a lot to say. Patti hasn't sounded this engaged
in years. She's singing, not screeching. Her vocals are soulful and
energetic but she never overdoes it as she has on some recent recordings.
Nona's songs are great, and actually ABOUT something, and she and Sarah
sound no worse for the wear, all these years later. Those harmonies sound just as vibrant as they ever did, too. The producers--with
the exception of Wyclef Jean, whose song "Rollout" bored me with its overproduced yet already dated vocal effects--seem to realize that Labelle's fanbase isn't really interested in "modernizing" them. And I
think it's a wise choice. To my surprise I've played this CD quite a few
times already and have enjoyed it a little more each time. As a kind of
bonus, the final track is a recording of "Miss Otis Regrets" from 1970,
with Nicky Hopkins and Keith Moon featured. Work it, ladies!

What can I say ? This disc has got to be the best kept secret of 2008 ! This disc is hands down, the best purchase that I made this year. These women are phenoms...They sound just as good as they did in the 70's, & the songwriting & production is perfect for their FIERCE voices & style.
LABELLE RULES !!!!