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Language available : english
Following 2003's The Promise, Earth, Wind & Fire went back to the studio and refined and updated their approach to music with a more contemporary neo-soul sound on Illumination, and the gamble paid off plentifully, as it's one of the group's freshest and most fully realized album since the glory years of the '70s, when the group was releasing one timeless single after another. What makes Illumination work so well is their approach to staying contemporary without looking ridiculous in the process. The production from start to finish is polished and ready for prime time urban radio airplay, while still maintaining a sensibility of the old-school sound that made it work in the first place. Guest appearances are the norm, rather than the exception, with nonstop cameos from a wide range of artists, from OutKast and the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am all the way to soft rock horn tooter Kenny G. But the crown jewel of the album is unquestionably the eight-minute jam "Show Me the Way," with Raphael Saadiq handling lead vocals in a way that should make Maurice White blush with pride, confident in the knowledge his influence is very much alive and well in the next generation of soul musicians. The album's final pieces are puzzling, as Brian McKnight's eloquent appearance on the ballad "To You" is roughly knocked out of place as the fitting closer by a smooth jazz cover of OutKast's "The Way You Move," an ill-fitting move for an otherwise outstanding record. Sequencing error aside, Illumination is the musical defibrillator other aging soul musicians should grab a hold of and take note.
© Rob Theakston /TiVo
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William Adams, Composer - Keith Harris, Composer - will.i.am, FeaturedArtist - Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
TERRY LEWIS, Composer - Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist - James Samuel Harris, Composer
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist - Philip Bailey, Composer
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
T. Lewis, Composer - James Harris III, Composer - Tony Tolbert, Composer - TERRY LEWIS, Composer - Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist - John "Sonny" Harris, Composer
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Taura Stinson, Composer - Maurice White, Vocals, Backing Vocals - Earth, Wind & Fire, MainArtist - Raphael Saadiq, Composer, FeaturedArtist
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Marqueze Ethridge, Composer - Big Boi, FeaturedArtist - Raymon Ameer Murray, Composer - Patrick L. Brown, Composer - Kelly Rowland, FeaturedArtist - Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist - Sleepy Brown, FeaturedArtist - Rico Renard Wade, Composer
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Taura Stinson, Composer - Alonzo Jackson, Composer - Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist - Raphael Saadiq, Composer - Kelvin Wooten, Composer - Sir Bailey, Composer
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Taura Stinson, Composer - Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist - Raphael Saadiq, Composer
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Brandon Bennett, Composer - Patrick L. Brown, Composer - Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist - Ramon Murray, Composer - Rico Renard Wade, Composer - Sam Christian, Composer
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Marsha Ambrosius, Composer - Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist - Natalie Stewart, Composer - Floetry, FeaturedArtist - Darren Henson, Composer - Keith I. Pelzer, Composer
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Vikter Duplaix, Composer - Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist - Junius Bervine, Composer
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist - BRIAN MCKNIGHT, Composer, FeaturedArtist
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist - Raphael Saadiq, Composer, Lyricist - Kelvin Wooten, Composer - Rodney Smith, Composer
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Antwan Patton, Composer - Carlton Mahone, Composer - Patrick L. Brown, Composer - Earth, Wind & Fire, Performance, MainArtist - Kenny G, FeaturedArtist
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Albumbeschreibung
Following 2003's The Promise, Earth, Wind & Fire went back to the studio and refined and updated their approach to music with a more contemporary neo-soul sound on Illumination, and the gamble paid off plentifully, as it's one of the group's freshest and most fully realized album since the glory years of the '70s, when the group was releasing one timeless single after another. What makes Illumination work so well is their approach to staying contemporary without looking ridiculous in the process. The production from start to finish is polished and ready for prime time urban radio airplay, while still maintaining a sensibility of the old-school sound that made it work in the first place. Guest appearances are the norm, rather than the exception, with nonstop cameos from a wide range of artists, from OutKast and the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am all the way to soft rock horn tooter Kenny G. But the crown jewel of the album is unquestionably the eight-minute jam "Show Me the Way," with Raphael Saadiq handling lead vocals in a way that should make Maurice White blush with pride, confident in the knowledge his influence is very much alive and well in the next generation of soul musicians. The album's final pieces are puzzling, as Brian McKnight's eloquent appearance on the ballad "To You" is roughly knocked out of place as the fitting closer by a smooth jazz cover of OutKast's "The Way You Move," an ill-fitting move for an otherwise outstanding record. Sequencing error aside, Illumination is the musical defibrillator other aging soul musicians should grab a hold of and take note.
© Rob Theakston /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 14 track(s)
- Total length: 01:04:06
- Main artists: Earth, Wind & Fire
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Castle Communications
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B R&B
© 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2005 Bailey Entertainment Group Inc./Maurice White/Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
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