Its
always good to begin a new year with an album of
originality and soulful quality and this one
certainly sets down a standard that few can only
dream of attaining. Whilst new to being a solo
artist, Dorian's pedigree as a backing singer and
studio musician reads like a who's who of modern
music. Having done all of Michael Jackson's solo
tours he has been the vocal coach of American Idol
for the last four seasons, so he's certainly had
his work cut out!!
The album which has been a best
seller on CD Baby for some time is for
connoisseurs of sophisticated intelligent soul
performed by a pitch perfect singer of emotionally
poetic lyrics backed by a small selection
of thoroughly competent musicians. Each
'screenplay' as Dorian likes to calls his lyrics
takes us through the different aspects of life.
Be it the social comment of
'Compassion', the vocally influenced Lutheran
poignancy of 'Not Gonna Fall' which is one of a
handful of tracks that tackle the
different aspects of love including the innocence
of holding hands. Humour is also evident in the
construction of the opening track and my personal
favourite 'Freeze' which had me checking my
speaker connections before I realised I had been
taken in by the track's production!.This and the
slightly jazzier 'Blindman's Book' are complex
vehicles masterfully delivered.
Indeed, the album throughout is
one that you can revisit time and again preferably
with a glass of wine on one side and your
favourite person on the other! By the way if you
ever wondered what happened to the likes of Jim
Gilstrap and Phil Ingram both are well, living in
LA and on this album!! In conclusion, Dorian
closely follows in the footsteps of Donny Hathaway
as an artist at the top of his craft who has much
to say about about our behaviour and relationships
and is able to express his thoughts and
experiences on the matter through the art
of combining compelling lyrics with strong
accessible songs. A real gem and a must purchase!
