Soul folk in the know, know all about Ty Causey. Without huge hype the Indie soul producer/singer/songwriter/performer has steadily built up a coterie of fans since he debuted in the late 90s working with Najee.
His own debut solo set was 2004’s ‘N-tysing’ and since then his releases have continued to impress discerning soul fans who appreciate proper songs, sung in the old fashioned way but with a hint of the contemporary about them…. maybe a bit Maxwell-ish, though with a musical menu that’s a whole lot more accessible. A classy, classic soul man would be a good definition of Mr C though he prefers his nickname “Mr. Consistent”.
Over the last couple of months we’ve been treated to a flow of singles from the man’s album, ‘Tyangles’ and now the long player is officially available this side of the pond. Those singles ‘Rock With Me’ and ‘Ya Something Kind Of Wonderful’ are still standouts but there are plenty more cuts here that are just as polished, smooth and sophisticated. ‘Won’t You Be My Lady’ has the same easy-going vibe as the early singles while ‘Be A Man About It’ veers more towards the smooth jazz arena – sax courtesy of the wonderful named matt Cashdollar. He’s there too on the bumpier ‘Let Me Ride’. However, maybe the best cut to sum up the art of Ty Causey is the lovely ‘Hot Tonight Medley’ – not too sure about what it’s a medley of (don’t have the benefit of sleeve notes) but it sums up perfectly the attraction of modern soul in general and Ty Causey in particular.
By the way, this European release comes with the bonus of a special extended UK mix of ‘Rock With Me’ -perfect for the modern soul room…. but you could say that about the whole album!
(BB) 4/5
