Barefoot Soul

Sonia Dada

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 20, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Razor & Tie
• ASIN: B00006EXCA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #131,621 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Never afraid to mine the rich, diverse musical veins of their native Chicago for inspiration, Sonia Dada pushed former backup vocalist Shawn Christopher to the forefront on their previous studio album, 1999's My Secret Life, with gratifying results. As the title of this follow-up hints, the band has further entrenched itself in R&B and gospel, stripped-down and wed to a masterful rhythmic thrust, tastefully restrained guitar licks, and the dramatic instincts of Christopher, a bluesy chanteuse with a telling sense of dramatic scale. It's a deceptively mellow sound that's in fact as laid-back as a coiled spring. They've sacrificed a bit of their eclecticism, to be sure, but they've done so in service of a sound that still rubs Memphis grooves ("Better Brains," "Baby Woke Up") up against jazzy ambiences ("Raise the Roofbeam") and the simmering, modern South Side blues of "Sometimes." But the glorious "Daisy" argues that the band hasn't lost their range so much as slyly refocused it, growing from folksy acoustic lament to full-bodied New Orleans gospel horn romp in four minutes and change. Somewhere, the ghost of Lowell George should be smiling. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interwoven Materpiece Brilliantly Recorded, December 1, 2002

By	Christopher G. Veracka (Providence, RI USA) - See all my reviews

Those who rate this recording anything below a deserving Five stars (I'm giving it Six stars), should be embarrassed to make such an uneducated statement (are we listening to the same thing?). This piece does have some of the familiar SD material, take "Louise", how much more SD can you get. Now I could sit and analyze each piece, but I'd rather stay on the surface, and let the listener make his/her own judgement. As seasoned listeners, which SD fan's are, "barefootsoul" gives us a natural progression, as we would expect from such fine composer/arrangers. Do we really want the same thing with each "new" release. Go listen to the radio if you want that. Each time I listen to "barefootsoul" I hear something new. There is so much happening in this recording , I've never before heard such an interwoven recording by any artist - ever. Kudo's to the Engineer, the mix is Outstanding - even Brilliant! "Barefootsoul" is a piece to sit and listen to, with no other distractions. I promise you you won't be dissapointed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Only shoddy compared to prior Sonia Dada., August 29, 2002

By	Aaron M. Bond "Aaron Bond" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The long awaited new studio release of Sonia Dada may leave fans slightly disappointed. While it has rich musical styles and takes the band to new regions of their city rock style, it unfortunately lacks the finesse of the earlier albums. Essentially, in prior albums, Sonia Dada never sounded the same but always sounded like Sonia Dada. This album takes them to such experimental lengths that hardcore Sonia Dada fans may be left wondering if they are still listening to their favorite band. On the whole, however, this album leaves the unbiased listener happy with it's full ranges and bright new musical feels.
Most of the songs, though quirky when placed together on one album, stand on their own merit quite well. "Baby Woke Up" contains syncopated beats and smooth lyrics that SD fans will die for. "Raise the Roofbeam" slows the album down to a soft jazz that is highly attuned for easy listening. "Angel" delivers cheery themes with a minor key bridge which combines the best in what sounds like 50's ballad with traditional SD blues.
All in all, if you are a Sonia Dada fan, but still love diversity, by all means buy this album. It only dissapoints those who wish to hear more of the same.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What Happened Here!, August 28, 2002

By A Customer

My husband surprised me with the new Sonia Dada CD last night, and I could hardly wait to listen to it. I should have waited! What the heck happened! Sonia Dada worked over a year on this release, unfortunately it sounds like it is was wiped together in a matter of weeks. I have been an avid fan of theirs for years and I'd been anxiously awaiting this new CD. Unfortunately, it has none of the energy and strong harmonies/melodies of the previous CD's. Boring and lackluster come to mind. The final cut ended rather abruptly, making me wonder if somehting was wrong with my CD. No, it was just a bad ending to really disappointing CD.