Yellow Dog Records artist: The Soul of John Black - A Sunshine State of Mind - New Release Review

I just received the new release, A Sunshine State Of Mind, from  The Soul of John Black and it's really enjoyable. John A. Bigham, playing most of the parts as singer, songwriter and instrumentalist really delivers a nice package here. Opening with Magic Woman a rock/R&B style track, JB provides a solid package with a catchy hook and snappy beat. Echoing his voice with layers of backing vocals and lead guitar melody, this is a track that easily find it's way to the airwaves. Beautiful Day is a great soul track with a certain Al Green feel... excellent! East LA Lady has an uptempo club beat but not venturing far from the soul thread established by Marvin Gaye. Higher Power is another soul ballad again with an Al Green style structure. No real question where influences come from here. My thoughts, listen to masters to make masterful music. Johnny Bear (Give It To Me), is another high energy dance track with R&B rhythms. I know that I make references to legendary artists in comparison but this music sounds fresh. Everyone is influenced by someone. It's what they do with it. JB is doing something new. With ripping guitar riffs JB pierces the standard for R&B dance music. Lenny Love Cha Cha is a great soul track strongly showing the vocal and rhythmic strength of JB. This is a great release to just lay around the pool and sip a beverage and take in the day. Too Much Tequila again has strong ties to Al Green and if I haven't made it clear, I really like Al Green. Again, not a clone but a branch of a great style. Wrapping the release with Summertime Thang, JB does a marvelous job of pulling all of the feeling of a great classic soul track (which this may be). I've only had the opportunity to listen to this release a few times, but it will be in my car soon, and I expect to listen to it quite a bit more... Very Strong!

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