Maybe it’s just this married ass, ’cause this CD might not move the average college student. But if you’re a hitched, Ossie Davis-and-Ruby Dee lovin’ fan of good soul music, In This Life Together just hits you on yo insides ’n’ shit.
It’s a steady set buoyed by easy bass grooves, and even steadier harmonies. Though traditional soul can sometimes overplay eclecticism, you do get eclectic twists here, particularly on the breezy title track.
Themes of coupledom speak loudest, which should go lengths to charm Kindred’s core audience. Fatin Dantzler, the husband, hits strong tenor chords on “Turn It Up,” waxing about the joys of rare nights out with the boys. Meanwhile Aja Graydon, on “Woman First,” sings longingly about looking in the mirror and realizing that the woman in her has been replaced by a wife and a mother.
One strand consisting of two songs and an interlude, “Message to Marvin” and “As of Yet,” feels pedestrian, especially following the droll, quickie-sex romp “Sneak a Freak.” But the album rebounds, ending strongly on “Bed Time Story,” an empathetic ode to family.
Appears Saturday, Oct. 15, at Escape, 2999 Woodbridge, Detroit. With Jaguar Wright and La Toya London.
Khary Kimani Turner writes about music for Metro Times. E-mail [email protected].
