Customer Reviews

Change It All

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Goapele is a phenomenal artist in every sense of the word. She paints vivid pictures of the stories she tells, a craft that few singers can truly do since they all tend to resort to whatever catchy hook is going to get them a Top 40 hit. The socially-conscious vibe as well as the wistful antidotes shape the very essence of who Goapele is and what her music is about. Even Closer (the revamped version of her independently released Closer) was released in 2002 and helped get her name out there to the contemporary soul crowd. Now over three years later, the sultry songstress returns with her second album Change It All. Luckily, she sticks to a similar formula on this album and doesn't adjust her sound too much.

The title track "Change It All" is the most melodic piece on the whole album, resorting mostly on a simple piano riff and Goapele's deep thoughts on the problems of the world and of your neighborhood. "First Love" takes a look back at the magical feelings we all felt with our initial relationships. "Different" talks about the how couples that start out okay can result in both sides drifting apart and hoping things can be worked out. "Crushed Out" talks about the warm feeling you get from being with your significant other. "Find A Way" is a mid-tempo cut about how we all need to start acting right and doing things for the greater good. "If We Knew" reflects on things we've learned about that we should have handled differently. "Battle Of My Heart" is a soft serenade about following your feelings without giving much thought to what the true consequences of your actions will be. "Darker Side Of The Moon" is a spirited anthem penned by longtime songwriter/producer Linda Perry.

There are a few experimental tracks like "Love Me Right" "4AM" and "Fly Away." But considering this is her second album, she has a little wiggle room to try some things without losing the listeners' interest. With a solid sophomore effort, Goapele has the material to capture new fans of her music. I've had the chance to see her perform live twice and both times she was phenomenal. If you get a chance to hear Change It All (see the Media Center to hear the entire album now) or catch her as an opening act, you will see that Goapele is a truly blessed singer. Hopefully you'll be as blessed as I am for hearing her music in the first place.

In an ideal world, this cd would go platinum several times over, but we do not live in such an imaginative reality but in one where artists like Mariah, Ciara, and Beyonce garner all the praise and record sales, while artists like Goapele fall beneath the radar. Granted, there are female singers out there with more powerful pipes and vocal range than Goapele; however, few artists have Goapele's knack for writing thoughtful, socially aware lyrics that emote and inspire. And the groove she creates with her back-up band - it is absolutely amazing! I mean, listen to "Different" and "4am," and if you cannot feel the deep groove running through these excellent songs you simply do not have a pulse. They remind me of being in dark lounge with hip neo-soulsters bobbing their heads to the deep bass blasting from the lounge speakers. The organ coupled with Goapele's call to arms in "Find a Way" is downright inspirational, makes we want to go out and protest against all forms of inequality and unjust wars. Her sound, electro-soul like, is particularly distinct, an attribute that does not obatin in other artists' music. The bottom line is that if you loved her first cd, you will definitely adore this one, as her lyrics have dramatically improved, and the songs are more accessible and consistent throughout. Do not sleep on this! Also, pick up Anthony Hamilton's new one while you're at it.

Once in a while I stumble upon a CD so enticing with its melodies and lyrics, it becomes addictive. Goapele's "Change It All" is my most recent discovery. From the hypnotic Intro, Goapele manages to reel you in with rhythms and beats so mesmerizing, it's hard to let go. What separates Goapele from the rest is that she knows how to tap into your soul by exploring a plethora of subjects -- from a call to social activism ("Change It All") to first loves ("Crushed Out") to growing pains of the past ("If We Knew.") Goapele runs the gamut and through her willingness to tackle such an array, you'll feel as though you've come to know the artist firsthand... her likes, her fears, her joys and her frustrations with life and love. Other standouts on the project include the mid tempo "Find a Way", the rap induced "Different" and "You" -- a ballad featuring talented crooner Dwele that's so powerful, it'll give you goosebumps. Goapele is even kind enough to include a hidden track of her popular tune "Closer." Kudos to Goapele for offering such thought provoking and uplifting soul music for the New Year.

I became addicted to neo soul in 1995.Towards the end of the last decade my artists disappeared on me. Ms Goapele came out when neo soul had all but lost all its soul. How one person can connect so deeply with the "musical ones" is phenomenal. She has so many faces and her music does display that. She beat the sophomore jinx with change it all. I am so torn as to which I prefer but I tell you what I'll just continue to rock both. If this artist is new to you give her a chance. You could mess around and become her #1 fan. Peace

Well I'm definetly a Goapele Fan i first heard her singing closer to my dreams while in la i immediately came back home and looked for a copy and i was throughly impressed i listen to nothing else, Soo i was eagerly awaiting for her follow up and i must say that with this cd the melodic tone fills me up her writing skills have improved she is honest, vulerable, real and socaily aware... With tracks like Change it all, First Love, The soul clap of Love me right, 4am, diffrent, crushed away, you duet with dwele this cd is sure to feed the soul

It isn't very often that I give an R&B album 5 stars, simply because out of personal taste, nearly all of modern rhythm and blues music has gone mainstream. It's just a fact. It all sounds similar. You're lucky if you can distinguish one artist from another, and while neo-soul music is finally forging ahead and cultivating some more diversity in the music, even in the neo-soul genre alone, many of the artists sound alike. It isn't necessarily anyones faults. It's hard to make it as an underground R&B artists - which is why you so seldom here of any, and as a result, people adapt styles, adopt songs and allow themselves to be molded to the inudstry's image of soul music. You won't find this with Goapele, and even so, Goapele suffers another problem; she falls between the lines. Her sound is unique and original, and hard to be pinned into any one category. She's not distinctly neo-soul, but nor is she a predominately hip hop influenced artist. Her songs are often very ethereal, calling to mind certain aspects - that is the aspects that work - of Meshell N'Degeocello's music, and yet Goapele strikes a fine balance and keeps herself from leaning too much in any one direction. Almost all of her songs carry a head-nodding bassline, (seldom found in neo-soul,) which is no doubt inspired from being a part of the hip-hop generation. Her songs are also extremely melodic, and are careful not to be too repetitive. Her voice, the main hilight, is unique and distinct. If you were to play a lineup of fifty different female R&B artists at once, she would be easy to pick out. She simply carries her own sound. Her own sound, her own style, and finally, Goapele breaks the longstanding barrier keeping soul artists locked in - positive messages.

Very, VERY rarely does a modern-day soul album venture outside the realm of heartbreak and romance. Look at Vivian Green's album, which might as well have been titled "A Sequence Of Heart-Breaking Breakups." Then you have John Legend's album, whic is almost all about love and cheating, not to say that these aren't great records, because they are in their own way, but they all say the same thing. On and on it goes, and while I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Look at Heather Headley, she managed to make one of the most emotionally moving soul CDs in years all about love, but aside from that, I'm just saying it makes for rather monotonous subject matter in a musical genre with so much potential. Goapele is exploiting that potential. She has songs from all perspectives. Her album-titled song "Change It All" is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best songs on this entire record. It deals with the unjustices of life and the heartlessness of modern society, and does all of this while at the same time managing to be one of the most beautiful and penetrating songs on this whole album. "So many laws are changing, they say it's the price for war / We say no but he spends billions, it's hard to believe that years ago people died to vote / And history feels so far away, we're not fighting for our lives anymore / It's hard to know what's really worth fighting for." Goapele stands her ground and proves herself as a pioneer in the veins of Bob Marley and other musical activists. Aside from her political anthems, Goapele, of course, allows herself to sing about love as well, in great depth. Many of her songs deal with different facets of romance, and the pain involved, but she does so in a different manner. She applies her own unique style - something that sounds like a mix between modern hip hop, neo-soul, and urban musicals in the vein of "Rent." I realize that's a strange way to describe it, but it's true. Her music is inspiring, and tells stories, instead of simply bemoaning the loss of a romance she's had somewhere far in her past. She steers away from the mainstream, but refuses to align herself with any specific category. She's started her own Record Label - Skyblaze Records, and forwads she goes. Her first record "Even Closer," while good, felt more like the preliminary mixtape to hit the streets and test the waters before the featured release. "Change It All" showcases Goapele at what would be the peak of many soul artists, but what I hope is only a part of the climb to her greatest future releases. "Change It All" is one of the strongest sophomore releases to hit stores in decades, and puts shame to the cookie-cutter soul albums flooding the shelves now-a-days.

I highly recommend this album. You're buying a different flavor of soul music with this CD, something that sounds both exotic, head-nodding, and emotional all at the same time. While I can't honestly say that she stands toe to toe with my favorite soul artists - singers such as India.Arie are simply lightyears ahead of being touched by any modern day artists - I can honestly say that Goapele is gaining momentum, and who knows? If she continues on the path she travels now and continues to evolve, it might not be long before she takes center stage.

I get this feeling of growth from Goapele with her most recent effort. "Even Closer" was refreshing and innovative in its own way, but she has definitely found something incredible in her artistry. It is obvious that she is crazy talented but, I did not expect to find my CD player dominated by this album. Not since Erykah Badu or Maxwell have I been so blown away by a sophomore release. Sure, it has a few splashes of mainstream coddling, but not so much that it's a sellout. It is still all on this performer's terms. She is still singing about beliefs-- about wanting to "Change it All" by teaching others how to come together and offer support for one another. There is still a message, there is still strong love, and there is still originality. This time, it is done with a sparkling pizzazz.

There are songs for a dance mood ("Love Me Right) or a groove you can back and chill to ("4AM). There's a little bit of everything. The outstanding personal favorites of mine are: "First Love," about that good old feeling about, well, her first love. "Different," a song about how things went awry in a previous relationship. I'm not much of a rap fan, but the featured rapper on this joint adds a special type of flavor in giving his side of the story of the relationship gone wrong. "Crushed Out," is like an old school slow jam about a love we have all felt at one time. Then, there is the Dwele duet "You," - this a ballad that's just hot.

Goapele has found a sound that is all her own and is ready to let the world hear it. It's too bad she's just another artist getting too little props in the world of music.

Beautiful can not fully grasp this artiste, the lyrics or the compositions. Goapele, an exceptional artist, returns on her second album Change It All. This album is a perfect compliment to her first. After over three years of nothing coming from her, she belts out sultry, poignant tunes that leave an impression long after the album has ended.

The album includes many outstanding songs like the title track "Change It All." "First Love" and "Crushed" displays Goapele's angelic voice that fits perfectly with the lyrics of a new love, and the tracks soft music. She adds a beautiful duet with Dwele called "You"; and the combination of their voices with the music on this ballad is a reason to get this album alone. She has a gentle sound and at first listen it is so easy to miss the depth in her lyrics because you're swept away by her voice.

In the words of Al Green, "Simply Beautiful" is what Goapele's voice and album is from beginning to end. Her songs are superbly melodic, and her voice is unique and distinct, creating an amazing marriage of the two. This album seems to just flow, her voice carrying you from one song to the next and before you know it the album is over.

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Somehow I wasn't surprised. Goapele does not hesitate to give you nothing but quality music mixed with Love and intellectual storylines. Her musical style is a stream of fresh air that manages to break through all the murky halitosis of mainstream materialism laced with misogynistic lyrics normally heard on radio nowadays. Goapele, keep bringing us the good stuff sistahfriend! Run out and get this CD. You will not be disappointed.

Geapele does it again. "Change It All" brings Geapele "even closer" to the mainstream. Brilliant effort throughout with very few low points. Standout tracks include "Difference", "First Love", "Find a Way" and "You" featuring another soul prodigy Dwele.

With some commentary from Death Row Inmate and Revolutionary Mumia Abu Jamal, this effort is like nothing else out there. Geapele touches on many different aspects of life.