Amidst the constant barrage of trends, technology and transient
floor-fillers which have besieged dance music over the last 20 years, one
man has remained true to himself and still towers over everything else:
Robert Owens, not only the most distinctive voice to come out of house music
but one of the greatest soul singers of all time in whatever context he’s
planted in. Since emerging out of Chicago with Larry Heard as part of
Fingers Inc in the mid-80s Robert has charted his own highly-personal path,
continuing to release classic singles like ‘Walk A Mile In My Shoes’. This
time it’s a full album which sees him collaborating with a
stunningly-sympathetic bunch of contemporary producers including Jimpster,
Ian Pooley, Charles Webster, Kid Massive, Atjazz, Simbad, Wahoo, Romboy, TJ
Kong & Nuno Dos Santos and Kirk Degiorgio. Subtly bolstering the songs, they
all let Robert explore his complex personality, emotions and philosophies
while never losing sight of the groove [which are both bang on 2007 and
everything great about classic house]. With spoken links, the highlights are
too many to list. Suffice to say, it’s a house music milestone, showing
Owens moving beyond mere soulful vocals into the realms of the great torch
singers, painstakingly overdubbing himself into spectacular multi-tiered
chorales; ‘I’ll Be Your Friend’ was only a blueprint for the vocal
acrobatics and pyrotechnics of sublime excursions like ‘Inside My World’ and
‘I’m Chained’ while ‘No Tomorrow’ shows what it might have sounded like if
he’d collaborated with Derrick May. He produces himself on ‘Press On’,
creating a piano-driven roof-raiser in the process. Owens has not only broke
down the walls but, incredibly, built a new landmark which no-one will ever
touch, just listen and marvel at one of the greatest talents this music has
ever produced finally creating his masterpiece.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs
