If you regularly have visited my opinions in this space during the past four years, then you may have gleaned that it is no secret that ever
since the Lenny B remix of “More Than This," I have been a fan of James and the mellifluously refined voice of his wife DeAnna Cool,
otherwise known as Madison Park. Now, out of the musical aggregation known as basicLUX records in Atlanta, where they have cultivated a
classic house/groovetempo sound that transcends the common contemporary categories in music, comes Another Yesterday, or as I to
refer to it with the Yogi-ism, “déjà vu all over again”.
Great production not withstanding, the “feel” of Madison Park is, at least to me, upliftingly romantic and yet at times contains a tinge of
melancholy. The title track, “Another Yesterday,” exemplifies this and it is the second single. It follows the release of the mischievous
“Come Out And Play”, which apparently was inspired by the can-can dance cabaret, Moulin Rouge (meaning ‘red windmill’ en Francaise). The
video for the song is indeed a lively cinematic number and the positioning of the track brings the album back to party life after briefly
straying “Miles Away” while “Numbing Down To Nothing” where we adore the jazzy, “cool” muted trumpet fade-out! However, my fun favorite on
this album is at position two, “Just As The Sun”. Showcasing a kabooke dance beat from the outset, this is the song to frolic and gambol to
as is the very beat-laden, lively “You Put Your Problems On Me”.
A Little Bit Of Jazz and A Little Bit of Brazilian Flava
“Something’s Missing” is the jazziest jam, while “Wish You Were Here” incorporates a bit of Brazilian flava while oft sounding like the clone of “Personal Moon” from their previous album Boutique. In fact both songs are in the key of “A”, Mr. Cool informed me (and yes that IS his real surname name, lucky guy!)More Than This Revisited
They reprise “More Than This” on track eight; same song, but with a different, now more haunting texture which will leave you staring off into space and maybe asking “why” they rolled–over that territory again. This is especially if, like me, you are in extreme affection for the original Lenny B. remix. The answer came from artist/remixer/producer James Cool himself when he informed me that, “this version was actually the original version from 2005.”Another Yesterday is Good For Late Night or Early Morning
Listenable late at night within the club scene, and also in the morning over recovery java, the former New Sound Theory groove of 2000, in some cases, picks up where, Boutique left off in 2004. This well-oiled entrepreneurial, multi-media machine duo understands that music can make you dance to a hard beat or just as well and sometimes better to a showery day party beat too. So, bring on the “cool” vegan hors d'oeuvres!I refer you back to my 2005 review of Roxy Remodeled, which is the venue upon which I first met Madison Park and company. My acclaim of that compilation is still unsurpassable, and in many ways the two albums are incomparable. So please do not be mislead by my rating of three-point-five stars for Another Yesterday – it is just that I have, in four years, returned to Earth to chill with my portable computerized musical playing device amongst the whispery trees in this airy park.
Released December 2008 on BasicLux Records.
