Sounds of Blackness Albums (10)
'The 3rd Gift: Story, Song and Spirit'
Release Date 8/25/2009
Tracks 14
Label CC/Copycats
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'Kings and Queens: Message from the Movement'
Release Date 9/11/2007
Tracks 18
Label CC
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'The Night Before Christmas, Vol. 2'
Release Date 1/1/2004
Tracks 15
Label CCE
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What The Critics Say
Sounds of Blackness released their first Christmas album, Night Before Christmas: A Musical Fantasy, back in 1992. Produced by Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam, one of the most dominant urban production teams of the 1980s, it was full of the big, cavernous, and somewhat trippy R&B sound the duo specialized in, and the result, at least to some ears, was more bombast than innovative, a problem that is at least somewhat addressed in Night Before Christmas, Vol. 2, which was recorded in 2004 with Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam notably not aboard. Sounds of Blackness specialize in what might be called urban fusion gospel with a strong theatric base, and for this holiday album they've turned up the percussion on everything, so these tracks fly along on enough energetic polyrhythms to keep Santa jivin' forever. Although it's a little disconcerting to hear "Silent Night" sung to looped drums, the truth is, somebody had to do it eventually, so why not Sounds of Blackness? One of the best tracks here is "Do the Funky Chitlin'," which is, well, hugely funky, if only marginally seasonal. The final three cuts are instrumental backing tracks, and they're wonderfully huge in sound, with massed horns and strong, bold string arrangements (especially the jazzy big-band take of "Holiday Love 2"). In the end, this second volume seems less forced and more fun that the first installment, and the omnipresent drums alone will get you dancing as you hang those stockings with ease. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Time for Healing signaled the departure of producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis from the Sounds of Blackness camp. Sounds of Blackness -- and particularly group leader Gary Hines -- also abandon the new jack swing motifs of previous albums in favor of a more urban approach. Given the album's 1997 release date, this isn't surprising -- new jack swing had overstayed its course by this point. The new, more urban-sounding Sounds of Blackness isn't afraid to collaborate with rapper Craig Mack on "Spirit," interpolate Roger Troutman on "Hold On (Change Is Comin')," and take liberties with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's "Love Train." ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'Africa to America: The Journey of the Drum'
Release Date 4/12/1994
Tracks 19
Label A&M
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What The Critics Say
Nothing on Africa to America tops the shining moments -- "Optimistic" and "Testify" -- on Sounds of Blackness' debut, Evolution of Gospel. However, all things considered, Africa to America is probably the better album. And if it's not the better album, it's surely the more consistent of the two. Where Jimmy Jam's and Terry Lewis' efforts were somewhat limited on Evolution of Gospel, with the exception of the album's highlights, the producers devoted themselves to this 1994 follow-up, producing not just a few great songs but rather numerous great songs: "I Believe," "I'm Going All the Way," "Black Butterfly," "Everything Is Going to Be Alright," and "The Harder They Are, the Bigger They Fall," in particular. And while these songs don't depart too far from the potent new jack swing-meets-gospel sound of "Optimistic," that's a good thing -- Jam and Lewis were on top of their game at the time and brought no shortage of their trademark dense percussive rhythms to Africa to America. So, even if the production sounds a little calculated and perhaps even outdated for its time, it made for some amazing songs. It wasn't until subsequent albums that it became evident just how integral Jam and Lewis were to Sounds of Blackness' success. Along with Evolution of Gospel, Africa to America remains the group's pinnacle. With Jam and Lewis, Sounds of Blackness sounded fresh and relevant; without the duo, they sounded like any other gospel group. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'The Night Before Christmas: A Musical Fantasy'
Release Date 1/1/1992
Tracks 18
Label Perspective
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What The Critics Say
Capitalizing on the unexpected success of the group's debut album, The Evolution of Gospel, Sounds of Blackness delivered The Night Before Christmas in late 1992, just in time for the holiday season. It's fairly safe to consider this a rushed project. Sounds of Blackness were still riding high on the success of singles like "Optimistic" and "Testify" at the time, and, if anything, this album kept the group in the spotlight for a few more months. In retrospect, there's nothing particularly amazing about this album. The group quickly treads through a number of holiday favorites, never devoting more than a couple minutes to each particular song. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were signed on as producers, which makes this album noteworthy to a certain extent, yet the dynamic duo don't deliver the sort of genius production you'd expect from them. Overall, The Night Before Christmas sounds like a half-hearted effort. And even though the group's intentions seem in place, giving the album a truly spiritual feel, the execution seems a bit too casual to be truly moving. This is one you might want to pass on until you've explored Sounds of Blackness' other '90s albums first. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'The Evolution of Gospel'
Release Date 1/1/1991
Tracks 17
Label Perspective
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What The Critics Say
Though from beginning to end one of the best gospel albums of its era, The Evolution of Gospel became and remains noteworthy because of three songs in particular: "Optimistic," "The Pressure," and "Testify." These three songs rocketed to the upper reaches of the R&B charts in 1992, all three entering the Top 20 and "Optimistic" peaking at number three -- remarkable numbers for such unashamed gospel music. And these weren't flukes or novelty hits. No, these were amazing songs that captured the spirit of the time, in particular the new jack swing production sound that was all the rage in the early '90s. Furthermore, it didn't hurt that Sounds of Blackness teamed with the hottest production team of the time for these songs, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who were in the process of producing Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation at the time. The result was three definitive songs that synthesized Jam and Lewis' incredibly dense rhythms with Sounds of Blackness' uplifting gospel technique. The remainder of the album unfortunately didn't feature Jam and Lewis' production, but group mastermind Gary Hines obviously knew he had a winning formula and stuck with the new jack motifs, even if he's a second-rate Teddy Riley at best. As a further testament to this album's monolithic status, it's important to note that much of this album remains as charged as it did at its prime, while all the other Bobby Browns and Color Me Badds of the time admittedly haven't aged nearly as well. Sounds of Blackness never could duplicate the success of Evolution of Gospel, the undisputed zenith of the group's career. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
