In some ways this nifty little 14 tracker is like James Day’s ‘Natural Things’ collection. That’s to say though Eddie’s name’s up there in the title, the album is really a various artists set. Like Day, Caldwell is the album’s writer, producer and arranger. He’s the facilitator who’s pulled it all together and he’s succeeded in his mission statement which was “to get the music back to how it was in the seventies”. He’s crafted an organic soul set with a real retro feel. The songs (well most of them anyway) are well constructed; the musicians play real instruments; and the vocalists sing with a conviction and passion that makes you believe that they enjoyed their time in the studio with Mr. C. Of those vocalists, Shaunita Toussaint is outstanding. She works a magic on ‘Sister’ – a very crisp beater, the smooth ‘Underwater Paradise, the light acoustic ‘I Am Love’, the Latin swayer Can You Feel The Heat’, the modern soul dancer ‘Changing People’ and the looser ‘Diamonds’. In places – especially where she attacks with restraint – you may be reminded of Minnie Riperton. No doubts, though, who the intriguingly named The Golden Child will remind you of. I believe the gentleman’s real name is Roger Harris and if ever Stevie Wonder needed a night off, Roger would be the man to step into the breach. ‘Soul Searcher’- in particular – has Wonder stamped all over it. The LP’s most accessible cut though features neither of those singers. The delightful modern soul groove that is ‘India’ features Aaron Sledge and it kicks the album off in fine style. Some of the other cuts don’t deliver the same magic – I’m thinking the sitar-heavy ‘Edge Of The Night’ and the odd ‘Sunrise In Bangkok’. But, by and large, Eddie and his team have achieved what they set out to do – they’ve made some real soul music.
(BB) 4/5
