Album Review by EDF
Few artists stick to their guns and usually end up changing styles that best attracts a mainstream audience. Stacye Branche’s style is Alternative Soul, which basically means that it is a combination of R&B, Pop and Jazz. If that Pop element were not in the mix, then Branche would have found herself in the same league with the likes of Jill Scott and Lauren Hill. As Branche has her own smooth style, the songs have a sincerity that is missing from most of the mainstream acts.
The album is a concept album of sorts. The main premise is that Branche has let the love of her life slip away and this is the love he can expect if he allows her back into his life. On ANYWAY, ANYWHERE, longing for her man is articulated by some heavy sighs and a declaration that “you can have me any way baby, what I have is only for you”. TWO SOULS and SWEETLY progress on from this theme to where the love totally captivates Stacye. Of course things do not go the way they should and on SILLY, Stacye pushes away her partner and now regrets her action. Musically, this is stripped down to bring out the sincerity of the lyrics.
Stacye will ease her man’s stress from a hard day’s work, SOON AS YOU GET HOME and will “make you feel right” on LET ME. So far the first half of the album has been mainly slow tempo but then there is a run of four tracks, starting with ALL NIGHT, where the rhythm track makes these tracks sexually hot, making the album come alive. Most of the album was co-written, performed and produced with Lloyd Tolbert. Obviously both Lloyd and Stacye know how to write a decent tune and if you don’t believe me, check out WINNER TAKES ALL for a surprise musical twist. Since this has been advertised as an Alternative Soul album, you should expect nothing more then a classy album that’s just bursting full of soul and love.
