Walter T. Smith
ambersunshower
Gee Street Records
God knows what's taken so long, but contemporary R&B is slowly taking a turn for the better. This overlooked album follows the examples set by Erykah Badu, Me'Shell Ndegocello, and Maxwell, a new wave that is putting the soul back in New Soul--which, for some reason, has basically come to mean "No Soul."
Ambersunshower's debut, Walter T. Smith, produced by PM Dawn, is one of the finest examples of this renaissance of style, taste, and intelligence. Swaying erotically between the wisdom of classic jazz and contemporary Euro-dance beats, ambersunshower evokes a beautiful and seductive musical spectrum that acts as a beam of hope in a musical genre almost ready to be laid to rest.
A self-described "poet," and reluctant--although astoundingly capable--singer, Ms. Nadine Miligros Villenuevo Smith (aka ambersunshower) is a former member of Groove Garden, which opened for Digable Planets on their first national tour. She later parted with that outfit and took a hiatus to hang with her ailing grandfather, Walter T. Smith, who died three days after she signed with Gee Street. Fueled by the emotions stirred by his death, ambersunshower set out to record an album that fused old world and new world ideas and an outspoken love of hip-hop, dance music, and British alternative rock. The result is a diverse and highly original work that--despite its "alternative" categorization--sounds more like what contemporary R&B should sound like, rather than an attempt at creating something experimental.
From the Terrence Trent D'arby-ish "Running Song" to the Beatles-meets-Jackson Five "Rhythm Child," Walter T. Smith hits the spot. Intelligent lyrics, innovative yet simple melodies, and a mature woman with respect for past and present--the world of R&B could easily use a hundred more ambersunshowers to clear up the glut of talentless plastic soul destroying the industry. Although "Serengeti Plains" and "Blue Skies Butterflies" soar dangerously close to the territory of soul's reigning first lady, Erykah Badu, they are still a pleasure to listen to, and reflect more of an appreciation for the history of earlier jazz divas--and even Bjsrk--than a desire to cop. Ambersunshower sheds a little light on what R&B should and could be--clever, sexy, and a little rough around the edges.
In a perfect world, "Desoto" would be in the top 10 of every soul station in the country, and the remix of "Running Song" (a bonus track on the CD) wouldn't sound like it was tailor-made for The Gap. But in this day and age, you take what you can get--and an album like Walter T. Smith doesn't leave much room for complaints.
--Richard Baimbridge
