E.J. Johnson - Totally With Me - 1999 - Eman

This album contains some FANTASTIC tunes. The set was not widely known about on it's release in 1999, and it did not reach the ears of most soul music connoisseurs until 2003 when Richard Searling stumbled across it and waved the flag for it on his radio show. What a discovery! We all know and love Emmanuel Johnson as the sweet and soulful lead vocalist with the brilliant Enchantment through the 1970s and 1980s, and this set showcases the man's extraordinary talents at the closing of the 1990s. This is as soulful and essential as it comes. Fans of the man's vocals will want to grab a hold of this album as soon as possible. I believe you can still locate a copy direct from the man himself or, now, on CD Baby (please check the link below!) The set may not be as well received today as it should simply as it is not "urban", "street" or "RnB" enough. For this cantankerous old goat the fact it is none of the aforementioned makes it a damn sight more palatable and acceptable!

The title song is an instant winner, it's one of those tracks that should, if you're a soul fan worth your salt, make you sit up and take real notice. I certainly did, and immediately went to seek out a copy. OK, the music is programmed and the strings are not real but synthesised, but in the late 90s, as today, most quality artists were treated with contempt at best and indifference at worst and so had to take their careers into their own hands, doing what they could with what resources they had. Personally I think this is a good thing and in E.J.'s case he has come up with more than a competent set. "Keep My Love" is a top-draw cut that would not be out of place alongside quality gems that were floating around a decade earlier - think Theryl and artists like that and you're not far away from the truth. I'd also check out the gorgeous "Before The Feeling Slips Away", comparable with contemporary gems from the likes of Armsted Christian and Billy Porter, but with a jazzy George Benson-styled scat thrown in for good measure! There is a cut on here called "Angela" - NOT a coverof his old Enchantment hit - but a late 90s original song. What is apparent is that E.J. has lost not one iota of his talent and I truly hope that he and Enchantment make a return to the recording studio soon.

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe.