Curtis Harding
Soul Power
ANTI
The debut release
from up-and-coming soul singer Curtis Harding is a considered affair, so much
so it almost seems to err on the side of caution. Soul music is, more so than many
other styles, about a feel as opposed to a specific sound, and while Harding
has it, he’s not really letting it soar on Soul
Power.
But then, perhaps
that’s how he feels soul. Musically, the album is immaculate – rolling bass,
jiggling guitar (most courtesy of Harding himself), reverb-soaked vocals, wreathed
in that faded brassy sound. You just get the sense though, that Harding is
concentrating more on how it all comes across, as opposed to just following the
feeling.
He adds a bit of
grit with the dirty ‘Drive My Car’ and the bluesy ‘Castaway’, but then loses
steam with the more-disco-than-soul ‘Heaven’s On The Other Side’. This is good
soul music, but I get the impression Harding has far more in him than he offers
here – I look forward to his next release, once he feels more comfortable
letting it all hang out.
2.5/5
Samuel J. Fell
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