Eight years since the breakout album, Sweetback, the album Stage [2] breaks into different ground. The vocalists present in the previous album, namely Maxwell and Amel Larrieux, are absent from this album. The groove here is a bit edgier in some places- more earthy and less ethereal, which may offset some fans while garnering others.

The Aya track Lover was the initial release which predated the release of the album, and with the eight years of waiting for this release, this song was a welcome change from the mundane. Upon listening to the album in it's entirety however, Aya's vocals, which starts out sweet and simple ultimately saturate the album. Additional vocals in some of the songs help break the theme somewhat. Mountain stands out because of additional vocals from Byron Stingily, one of the founding vocalists of the house movement. On the flipside, Love is The Word, smartly graced with the flow of Ladybug Mecca from Digable Planets, is overtaken by Aya's vocals, thereby blending into the rest of the album.

A welcome change of pace breaks some of the commonality of the album. Mark Anthony Thompson, known here as Chocolate Genius, is the avante-garde standout on this album, both in lyricism and vocal contructs. Voodoo Breath (Master's Love) starts the album out on a strong note:

If I light the wick can you handle it?
My fuse your only guide
The sheets are wool, the tank is full
Bust the Marvin out, let's glide.

Tracks like Circles , which starts out with simple instrumentation and vocals reminiscent of Bob Dylan, crescendos into one of the finest tracks which defies any classification, definitively accentuated by Stuart Matthewman's guitar solo.

Under pressure, some good things break
I need to find a brand new mistake

In this circle I am turning
Now you're turning too
Everything is beautiful
Living without proof

Even Jesus Girl , which has the more mainstream vocals from Chocolate Genius and also with expected instrumentation, is a standout. Instrumentals, like the guitar-laced Blue Heights, and the sublime Shining Hour, are welcome additions.

Ultimately, upon repeated listens, the album grows into a welcome (albeit long-overdue) musical soundscape. Those wanting more of the jazzy vibes always given by the group known as Sade may be dissapointed, but if you're willing to open your mind up to a different type of vibe, then give it a listen.

Use exponent to get to the next power. you'll be glad you did.

*Photos by the effervescent, everloving Matt Lambert present at the Apache Cafe, 06.12.2004*

I'd like to think of myself as one of those people who are more laid back, who absorb the music, and envelop all the love. Calling me a dancer would be a misnomer for the most part. That is, until someone kicks the beats to me and makes me move and groove. When the grooves are funkier than normal, it's impossible for me to absorb them all. And so, for that reason, I gotta dance.

Take Joseph 'Amp' Fiddler. If I attempted to elaborate on the long list of his accomplishments, it might as well be a couple of chapters of a book, if not a short encyclopedia. Think of Prince, the Brand New Heavies, Ramsey Lewis, George Clinton, the P-Funk All-Stars, the Dramatics, Primal Scream, Was (Not Was), Giles Peterson, Maxwell, and Too Short in the same sentence, and that gives you a good idea on what this man has done. He lit up the Apache Cafe on a Saturday night. The funk was in the air, and with the heat and humidity, the last thing I wanted to do was sweat.

I'm really glad I did, though.

His CD Waltz of a Ghetto Fly is the representation of his abilty to touch the masses. Live versions of his songs kick it up a notch by not only providing most of the songs on his CD, but also some interpretations added to his reportoire (mixing up Dreamin' with I'm Still In Love by Sean Paul is merely one example).



With a man with this musical resume, it's hard to imagine him having a short concert. He did not dissapoint, giving us a performance that had us standing, clapping, and singing along with him for more than two hours. This included having Paul Randolph (above left), playing his bass across his shoulders in Superficial, or Patrice and Stephanie (above right) having numerous solos between themselves (particularly in the cuts Unconditional Eyes and Possibilities, which was was more than superb), as well as giving us the freestyle vibe - a vibe that was hard to shake - that is, if you ever felt like you needed to shake it.



The following tracks from his CD Waltz of a Ghetto Fly along with one from Only Child's Solitaire are present on the 'musical melodies' on the right:

You Give Good Vibes (with Only Child)
Dreamin'
Superficial
Unconditional Eyes
Soul Divine

He's got the power. He's got the charisma. Check him out.