Committed and knowing indie soul fans will know all about the talents of Lori Jenaire. Thanks to the sterling (and often unsung) work of UK soul promoters her work has been filtering in over here for a year or so and despite the odd dance aberration, her work has been consistently good. Now with this new 12 tracker – aptly called ‘Fruition’ – Lori’s music moves to another level. Working with Gladys Knight’s musical director Scott Cannady, Lori has crafted a wonderful indie soul set that demands investigation from anyone who digs divas like the aforementioned Gladys Knight or Anita Baker – to whose primetime work this album most resembles. The set starts promisingly with a cover of ‘California Dreamin”. I never understood why the soul fraternity like this tune but Lori does it her way. Different to Bobby Womack’s take, she even manages to work a snatch of Aretha’s ‘Daydreamin” in. Track two, ‘Stay Strong’ doesn’t quite take off, but maybe it’s because I have a thing about those cod Caribbean interjections made popular by the Fugees. However, all’s quickly forgiven with the third track – ‘Matter Of Time’. It’s a beaut and possibly the best indie soul tune of the year so far. The song boasts a lovely melody, there’s the sweetest of choruses, the beats are elegantly paced and Lori’s vocal is truly ‘felt.’ Add to that some extra soulful sax from Rodney Taylor and you have a perfect modern soul confection. Almost as good are ‘Dontcha Wanna Know’ and ‘Pieces.’ The former has some lovely, restrained beats which are perfect for the modern room while the latter is a steady groove underpinning a wonderful vocal on an ultra-catchy melody. If ballads are your thing then try the drama of ‘Pictures’. It equals the Dianne Warren-penned ‘Lately I’ as the LP’s best slowie – check out the piano on that one. Elsewhere, ‘Unexpected Storm’ has a touch of Latin about it while ‘Better Now’ has a different feel altogether. That one’s produced by guitar man John Dixon and adds variety to a great indie soul set which I can’t commend too highly.
(BB) 4 out of 5
