At the risk of boring you, dear reader, here @SJF we’d like to say again that 2022 is shaping up to be a vintage year for quality soul albums. I’ve read that the long, hot dry summer means that it’ll be a poor year for things like Burgundy, Bordeaux and fine Chablis – a shame for wine connoisseurs, but connoisseurs of the soul variety can savour all kinds of aural pleasures this year from people like Laura Rain, Mama’s Gun, Lindsey Webster, IshmaleSings, Mica Millar, The Harlem Gospel Travelers and Thee Sacred Souls . Now add to that growing list, the name of KIM TIBBS and her new album, ‘THE SCiENCE OF COMPLETiON VOLUME 1’ which has just been released via a collaboration between Black Orchid Records, Soulfood Music, DSG Radio Promotions, Izipho Soul Records and AWAL/Sony.
That might make it sound awfully complicated, but it isn’t. You see the 11 tracker offers straightforward, quality contemporary soul music – soul music as it should be… passionate, resonating and emotional with its roots in soul’s storied past. Indeed to get that old school feel, Kim and her team decanted to the legendary Royal Studios in Memphis and had Lawrence Boo Mitchell, son of the late great Willie Mitchell, help out on production duties and to get the feel just right Boo allowed Kim to use Al Green’s microphone from his original Hi sessions!
By now you should be familiar with at least three of the tracks. ‘Summertime’ (not the Gershwin song), ‘Walk To The Light’ and ‘Where Would I Be Without You’ were all released as album-heralding singles . That last one, a gorgeous slab of up-tempo, contemporary soul, perfect for the singer’s convincing vocal delivery, opens the album in fine style setting a quality benchmark for what’s to come. This ‘THE SCiENCE OF COMPLETiON VOLUME 1’ is stuffed with more good ‘uns. For instance ‘Miracles’ is a convincing and gentle, mid-tempo groove complete with a lovely monolgue, ‘Walk To The Light’ is another for the dancers while ‘Loving You Makes Life So Easy’ is a classic southern soul ballad compete with another pointed monologue.
However, it’s churlish to single out individual tracks. Kim tells us that the album is sequenced as a soundtrack to her life covering a range of themes such as love, hope and faith and the recommendation (seconded here!) is to listen from start to finish to fully appreciate each song’s depth and soulful power.
So to reiterate, ‘THE SCiENCE OF COMPLETiON VOLUME 1’ is another quality 2022 soul album. Let’s all raise a glass to Miss Kim Tibbs!
