Rating:
Genre:
Country
Release Date: 07/26/2005
Lari White's first American album of the new millennium (her last,
Stepping Stone, was issued in 1998) was released in the United Kingdom in June of 2004 on the
Mesmerizing label.
Green Eyed Soul, produced by
White, comes to us courtesy of her own
Skinny White Girl label. Having established herself in the '90s as a
pop-
country artist, this set is going to be a change-up for some as the title offers a sleek peek toward what she's going for.
White's aim is slick, chart-ready
R&B, and nu-
soul. It's also a given with
White's voice, and that this disc was made in Nash Vegas, her roots sound cannot be covered entirely. But what's most startling is her use of loops and even breaks alongside her studio band. Her love of
Southern soul and
Motown is everywhere evident, but with the use of technology alongside horns and strings -- check
"Right Here Right Now" -- the effect is startling. There are
trip-hop beats, turntables, and samplers flitting through the mix and creating rhythms. The
country-
R&B of
"Eden Before the Fall" is driven by slow, electric slide guitar, but
ambient sounds and shimmering backdrop electronics color and texture the tune displacing its center.
"Because I'm a Woman" is a tight little groover that's part slow-
funk anthem, part
country song, and part
soul rave-up, with a killer refrain. The strutting B-sharp on
"High," is pure silk and groove (think
Al Green or
Ron Isley) albeit it in a thoroughly modern context.
White's voice shines throughout; her pitch, phrasing, and emotional involvement in her songs is not only credible but worth celebrating. Make no mistake, this is a very smooth, slick record; but its depth cannot be denied and as a
pop record, one of the majors could have scored big with it. Highly recommended.
~Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
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