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The deaths of Luther Vandross and Barry White have left a void in Soul music for the type of late night love crooners who became a staple in the 80s, and Wade O. Brown is looking to fill that void. Born and raised in Detroit, the singer/songwriter/keyboardist was mentored as teen by the legendary Clark Sisters and became a regular in the Midwest Gospel community.  As a young adult he moved to Toronto, where there was a burgeoning Soul music scene, and was soon fronting a band at singer Keith Washington’s soul food restaurant.  Brown began making a name for himself playing private parties in the Toronto area and became a vocalist of choice when soul performers such as Aretha Franklin and Glenn Lewis came to town. Working with friend Wil Van Zyl, Brown put together a solo debut album, “Complete,” in 2003, which received some regional notice but not exceptional sales.  However, the disc was a fine showcase for his talent as a vocalist and garnered the interest of a number of important collaborators for his second disc, All Night All Love, released in the Summer of 2005.  Word must be getting around about Wade O. Brown.  How else can you explain collaborations by Barry Eastman (Anita Baker, Phil Perry), Kipper Jones (Kenny Lattimore, Vanessa Williams) Daryl Simmons (Boyz II Men, Babyface), and SoulTracks favorite Gordon Chambers on Brown’s independently released second album, All Night All Love?  Well, their interest in working on the album is understandable.  Brown certainly has the pipes and on All Night All Love he makes the case for himself as a successor to the great late night singers of the 80s, from Luther to Peabo.  He possesses an engaging, slightly raspy baritone and a very good sense of the material he’s covering, whether it is a seductive love song or a muscular dance number. There’s a strong “old school” feel in Brown’s material on All Night, from the light disco of the title track to the smooth mid-tempo “Besides” to his 70s soul tribute “Now Is Mine” (complete with a liberal sample of the Isleys’ “Footsteps In the Dark”), and Brown sounds completely at home in this genre.  But the album’s best moments are the more modern mid-tempos “Maybe” and “About Her,” a lyrically interesting song about a man’s unspoken interest in a harried single mother.  Most of the rest of the disc is less compelling lyrically, generally covering the usual make love and dance stuff, but musically is quite good.  And Brown proves himself a fine, romantic singer – one who should have real appeal to Luther’s legion of fans.  Recommended. By Chris Rizik

Wade O. Brown Interview and Studio and live performance  

Posted by Mujay on 21 Dec 2009 • 0 Comments