EMMANUEL - D’ILLUSIONS OF GRANDEUR (LITTLE LEAGUE PRODUCTIONS)
January 24th, 2006 by rui
Emmanuel’s debut album “D’Illusions of Grandeur” is a mighty fine piece of work - and that’s from a reviewer who’s often lukewarm about R’n'B and is certainly no aficionado!
I’d imagine Emmanuel (aka, C Swing) might say ‘hip hop or R’n'B, it’s all soul to me’. You can see his point. He’s worked with such a wealth of multi-talented people across diverse musical genres that it’s almost shameful to try and label his work. This debut album’s so rich, with guest vocals from the likes of KRS 1, Braintax and Michelle Escofferey (who does vocals for Bugz in the Attic and Liberty X among others) that they must have been tripping over each other to appear on it. Add to this, an incredible production oeuvre and it’s unsurprising Emmanuel’s been described in the same vein of Quincy Jones. A glance at this guy’s CV also reveals hit single productions for Jamelia, Beverley Knight, Beta Band and Estelle. Blimey!
“D’Illusions…” kicks in with a track featuring the straight-shooting rapping of KRS1. Punchy and dynamic, it’s easily my favourite, which already exposes my own hip hop tendencies! (Actually, I just played it again it’s awesome!) “Let’s Go Away” comes a close second with the smooth, easy rapping of Braintax laid over an achingly beautiful, electro-soul sound. “Plenty” takes Emmanuel’s discordant electro-jazz keyboard sound (a constant theme throughout) to an interesting place. Other tracks on “D’Illusions…” follow the slick, highly polished themes, which typify R’n'B music. However, Emmanuel offers a new and original take on it all, enticing the listener back again and again. Track six “Back to Mars” is a perfect interlude, that gave me a George Clinton moment!
I wouldn’t say that tight production is a bad thing - not all black music has to be ‘grimey’ - even if that‘s how I sometimes prefer mine. But the polished touch of this doesn’t mean “D’Illusions isn’t dirty. Not perhaps in the stereotypical, manufactured way that the term ‘urban’ has come to embody, but in its own brand of bluesy, smoke-filled-speakeasy sleaze. The electro-jazz foundation of D’Illusions offers more depth than the poptastic US side of R’n'B, which we’re too frequently subjected to.
There are at least four tracks on the album I’d play out. And I’ll probably give the whole album regular airing at home just because it ís quality. If you like the smoother hiphop and R’n'B sound, its a must-buy. If you don’t, buy it anyway, you might be pleasantly surprised!
Linda Spence
EMMANUEL ON MAKING D’ILLUSIONS
“D’Illusions of Grandeur” by Emmanuel is released on 6th February 2006 on Little League Productions.
www.littleleagueproductions.com
