I may be wrong BUT this was the last new release on the Tabu label, which by the mid 1990s was distributed through Motown. There was no fanfare for this release and little airplay, wghich was frustrating as the CD is blindingly good. Produced by the cream of the Tabu label and very much honouring the sound of the label and it's illustrious heritage with the likes of Jam and Lewis, Alexander O'Neal, Cherrelle etc., producers Clarance Avant, Zac Harmon and Christopher Troy wave their musical wands and weave some real soulful magic. Identity Crisis are, as you can see by the cover, are REAL musicians of Latino heritage and the lead singer is very much in an 80s soulful mode a la Switch or Lakeside. Brilliant. I am also a great fan of Zac Harmon and Christopher Troy. Their 90s work with Lo-Key, Alexander O'Neal, Five Star and Evelyn "Champagne" King is beyond reproach. They carried on the torch that was woefully dropped by Jam and Lewis in a rush to appeal to the 90s New Jack generation.The title track, I have to admit, sounds pretty dated as it was a sop to the Hip-Hop crowd but at the time it was quite a fun, upbeat and 'wave you arms about' sort of track. Ahem. Umm...moving swiftly on! Haunting synths, Spanish guitar, spine-tingling vocals and plenty of real percussion greet your ears immediately at the opening of "Come To Me" - now this is a track that has definitely no need to be hidden away under the carpet, sounding as good today as it did then. What we now call a stepping groove is probably the likeliest moniker for "Summer". A great little number about our most lamented time of year in the UK, and one can picture the fun and games somewhere like Malibu Beach, but the romance tends to falter a bit when you try and associate it with Clacton Peer! Lol. "Te Neccisito" is another quality cut and check the sample clip below if you need to check out the statement! "Kiss And Make Up" is an epic track running at 7 minutes, and is straight out of the Solar sounds of the 1980s. A brilliant downtempo summer groove with plenty of real musicianship to boot. Hats off to Messrs Harmon and Troy for this one. The vibes and haunting Gary Taylor-styled synth draw us into the sexy and spellbinding "I've Got What You Need". I have not stopped playing this track since I bought the set in the summer of 1994, and if you don't know it please take a chance and snap up a dead-cheap copy from Amazon on the link below. Brilliance from the 1990s for all connoisseurs to enjoy.
Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe
The Vibe Scribe
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