Stax Records continues to unearth a wealth of quality new talent with this offering from Texan southern belle N’dambi. For her third album (I’m not sure how the two predecessors escaped me) she enlists the production talent of ’80s dynamo Leon Sylvers III – the man who moulded hits tofor the Whispers, Shalamar, Blackstreet, Gladys Knight, Lakeside and many more during his day. Looking every bit the part, the Nubian goddess echoes in part of Erykah Badu, while her ‘sound’ similarly offers pure uncut, uncompromising r&b bordering on folk, jazz, blues and hip-hop in equal measure. The single, ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ is a wondrous midtempo shuffler with its uncompromising complaint, “I don’t know why I keep f***in’ wit you,” perfectly expresses her inability to turn a listless love loose. (Lookout for StoneBridge club mixes to follow shortly). While the retro funk of ‘Daisy Chain’ and ‘Mind Blowin” (the latter inspired by Isaac Hayes’ 1974 classic blaxploitation film Truck Turner), the jazz-tinged ‘The One’, and soul seducing ‘L.I.E.’ and ‘Nobody Jones’ show considerable depth to this shining star. Although the tempos never rise above head-nodding, N’dambi displays the versatility and scope to her voice (infusing classical jazz and love poetry in the form of an old school balladeer) that few newcomers can match, displaying a crooning style that is far more seasoned and seductive than a handful of singers twice her age.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Lewis Dene