Customer Reviews

N'Dea Davenport

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

N'Dea Davenport's days with the Brand New Heavies gave us some brilliant soul & funk done in an elegant British style. Her new album furthers her excursions into the world of R&B and much more. I bought this record right before I saw her performance at the Lilith Fair and was in love with it from the first listen. Then I saw her performance and I was fascinated. The album starts off with the very funky-soulful 'Whatever You want' which seems to be dedicated to the listener as she declares that she will offer "whatever you want" just "to keep you happy," and that's what this record does. It promises nad it delivers. There are some outstanding moments like her rendition of Neil Young's 'Old Man,' which gives us a beautiful fusion of old rock and R&B. 'Save Your Love For Me' is seductive and Jazzy. And 'Bullshi++in' is simply the definition funky. This is the type of R&B that needs more promotion here in the States; it is intelligent, it rocks, it funks, it is simply fascinating. I recommend this album greatly as well as all of N'Dea's previous work with the Heavies (and her awesome duet with Guru back in 93 with the song 'Trust me'). N'Dea you are a true R&B Riot GRRRL!

This is the album for those into retro-soul; that is, spiritual soul that blends elements of old school R&B, funk, and rock, and doesn't rely on pop/crossover formulas, like so much of commercial R&B music nowadays. The album touches on every part of the musical spectrum, from acid jazz ("Whatever You Want"), blues ("Save Your Love For Me"), electronic (No Never Again, Oh Mother Earth), rock ("Old Man"), R&B ("Bullshi++in'") , and even swing ("Getaway", the closing track.) N'Dea, who wrote, produced, arranged the tracks, and played many of the instruments on the album, has crafted an album of beauty; she obviously hasn't lost a step since her BNH days.

If there's one song on the album that touches me, it'd have to be "Real Life". Complete with strings, electric guitar, and synth, N'Dea delivers a parable about problems in the world, like the treatment of senior citizens and violence amongst youth ("death is still a game to those who play with guns and knives....")

All in all, this is an album that truly does aim to broaden the narrow confines of contemporary R&B. Few female R&B artists reach this level (Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, and French import Les Nubians come to mind.) I'm anxiously awaiting N'Dea's next album.

It's a relief to find out, after enjoying her vocals with the Brand New Heavies over the years, that acid jazz isn't where N'Dea Davenport begins and ends. "Whatever You Want" and "Underneath a Red Moon" will be big hits with her Heavies fans, but that's pretty much where the similarities in N'Dea's past and present come to a halt. She gives a smoldering reading on the bluesy, Etta James-ish "Save Your Love for Me," slinks her way through the sultry hip-hop of "Bring it On" (the album's first single), and adopts a no-nonsense attitude for the funky, horn-laden, and irresistible "Bullshittin." The album is also full of surprises, but luckily pleasant ones: she goes tribal on "No Never Again," teams up with Daniel Lanois for the modern rock ballad "Real Life," and even breathes fresh life into Neil Young's classic "Old Man." The gothic midtempo number "I Wonder" and the drum-and-bass workout "Oh Mother Earth" provide further evidence that this woman is an artist to be reckoned with, and by the time you hear the roadhouse blues of "Getaway" (try to imagine a thin Bessie Smith giving a juke joint a workout) it's clear that there's precious little this adventurous artist isn't willing to tackle...and even less she can't achieve.

It's frustrating to know that a talent as exceptional as N'Dea Davenport is still bubbling under mainstream's radar screen. The onetime lead vocalist for the UK soul outfit Brand New Heavies, Davenport is gifted with pipes that stand tall next to those of her more commercialized peers. In 1998, she unleashed her fine self-titled debut album which demonstrates growth from her days with BNH. I find it hard to resist the jazzed-up "Whatever You Want," the electronic bleeps of the funky "No Never Again," and the love jam "Under a Red Moon." But she doesn't really let up wintil we get to "Bull-------," a spicy mid-tempo jam with sass and attitude. The disc hits just a few weak spots with the ballads, but on the whole, this is a smart solo debut that's light on gloss and heavy on substance.

I've always been a Fan of Funk,like Tower of Power,Average White Band,and of course The Brand New Heavies, and Love N'dea Davenport with the BNH's.I was initally dissapointed when i first got D'Dea's album, i guess because it wasn't like the BNH sound. Then.......after listening to it again,it is an incrediable piece of work. The Music is good and her Voice is so Strong and Beautiful. Every song gives you something different!I highly recommend this CD. I look foward too a Second album from her and pray that she is doing it! It was the same as when i bought Phil Collins "Testify" It was dissapointing at first because it was not like his normal Horn Sound, but this album "Testify" is also a Masterpiece!

Rather than simply do an extension of her work with the Brand New Heavies, N'Dea Davenport steps out on her own. In this thirteen track set, she tackles a wide variety of musical styles from torch songs to straight ahead R&B. The material also covers a wide range of themes, which is refreshing.

With the emergence of hip hop, most vocalists limit their material to strictly love ballads and dance tunes. Here, Ms. Davenport covers the former in fine fashion with "Whatever You Want," which opens the set. Zip to the eighth track and you've got the latter covered with mid-tempo funk.

More importantly, there's also "When the Night Falls," which tells the moving story of a streetwalker. Its funky groove with background noises, sounds like a cross between Sly & the Family Stone's "If You Want Me to Stay" and Stevie Wonder's epic, "Living for the City." Other gems include her version of Neil Young's "Old Man" and the New Orleans-style jazz of "Getaway," which closes the set.

"Bring it On," the first single from the CD is okay, but not great. It sounds like generic R&B with overly familiar lyrics like "My love is deeper than an ocean."

Fortunately, the quality of material is generally strong. N'Dea also gives her fans a deeper sense of her solid vocal ability. She really belts on "Save Your Love for Me." It's probably her best performance on CD since "Brother Sister."

Overall, N'Dea Davenport's solo debut is a fine album. Her talent as a vocalist is equaled by her songwriting ability and song selection. Hopefully, we'll be hearing more from this talented artist in the near future.

I have been waiting for N'dea's solo debut since her departure from the Brand New Heavies. Today's R&B lacks strong voices and strong song writing. The anticipation I went through to wait for her album was well worth the wait. I've recommended this album to all my friends, and it is in heavy rotation...This is a must have for anyone into neo-soul music. Her ecclectic mix of music is what separates her from other artist. With N'dea, there are no formulas used to make this album hot. There's "Save your love for me" with a blues feel to it, "Bullsh*tt*n" with a groovy beat, a little bit of alternative with the remake Neil Young's, "Old Man", and "Underneath a red moon" that's remniscent of her Brand New Heavies days. This is a cd you'll want to add to your collection.

The biggest buzz around the genre of R&B of the last few years has been the revival of the soul music of the early '70s. I think it all started with Erykah Badu's 1997 BADUIZM album, which after years of grade B, producer-guided groups was a breath of fresh air. Not only did it take us back to simpler sounds and rhythms, but it reminded of us a time when real talent was what mattered most. While Badu and D'Angelo may be the reigning king and queen of the new revival, N'Dea Davenport has my vote for the princess. Interestingly, recording for N'Dea's self-titled debut began all the way in 1990, when R&B had just reached its synthesized peak. When British jazz-soul group Brand New Heavies needed a new lead singer, Davenport was chosen, and she put her solo work on hold. Meanwhile, BNH continued to create the purest soul music in ages, even spawning a worldwide hit with "Dream On Dreamer". Davenport left BNH in 1997 to continue her solo album, and finally after 8 years of work, N'DEA DAVENPORT was finally unleashed onto the public. With all the hype surrounding Erykah Badu and Macy Gray, N'Dea's album got lost in the shuffle. This could be because N'Dea was probably the most daring of her fellow neo-soul cronies. She goes so far as to explore modern rock with songs like "Real Life" and a wonderful cover of Neil Young's "Old Man". These songs prove that N'Dea is to soul music what Tina Turner is to rock. More risks taken include the Depression-era jazz of "Getaway", the frank "Bullshittin'" (if only all love songs were this honest), the foriegn-tongued "In Wonder" and two experiments into world music with "Oh Mother Earth" and "Placement For The Baby". The rest is mostly unadorned old-school soul, but it's spectacularly executed nonetheless. N'Dea's vocal performance on "Save Your Love For Me" is worth the price of this alone. Whether or not, N'Dea Davenport is a perfectionist is hard to tell, seeing as how other routes of success prevented her from releasing her solo album much earlier. But even after three years out in the public, N'DEA DAVENPORT has not received its fair share of the limelight, and even now could certainly use a little bit of it. Maybe with her next one, N'Dea could shoot into the stratosphere. Until then, this album will be proof that perhaps N'Dea's the one that should be credited with the soul-revival trend, even if it was recorded while R&B was in the middle of a corporate, vacuum-packaged phase.

This cd is one of my alltime favorites and I am truly a "real" music lover. N'Dea has a style of singing and attitude that makes you get your groove on and at the same time motivate you to keep on doing. I saw her in 1998 at Bimbo's in San Francisco, during a depressing time in my life. I must say this was by far the most energetic and empowering concert I have "EVER" been part of. I left there feeling like I could conquer the world if I just would "Never stop & never give up". "Brother Sister" made me cry and that's something I never do at concerts. She has my UT-MOST respect in the Music Industry. She has a way of making me feel like I am really a bad sistah! Stay Positive, Go on girl!

I am a huge fan of the Brand New Heavies' fusion of R&B, funk, and soul. Being such a big fan, I was saddened when N'dea Davenport left the band to pursue her solo career. However, N'dea's debut self-titled album is filled with the music that made her and the Brand New Heavies famous and loved by many.

I would highly recommend this CD to fans of the BNH as well as people who have not listened to the band. This is a style of music that makes you feel good, and in these times of sadness and war in the world today, we need more albums like this!