Lindsey Webster – Love Inside
It’s one of my favorite tracks at the moment, the luxurious title song of Lindsey Webster‘s new album “Love Inside” which was released yesterday. It’s her fourth record with her husband Keith Slattery and the seven minutes of the opening tune are swaying along so elegantly soulful, with a big dose of sexiness and a refined arrangement that I instantly want to go back again to the start of the song. But wait, there is more soul oozing in: “A Love Before” is another extremely catchy soul tune reminding me of the best of the mid to late 80s when the so-called quiet storm surprised us all. “Bad Grammar” at times sounds like if it’s coming out of the Sade book (unlike the surprisingly boring “Flower Of The Universe”, her first new song in about eight years). The same applies to “Dream” with its sleepy melody and super tender vocals.
The feel-good factor of “Free To Be Me” features Norman Brown on guitar and also showcases Lindsey’s capability of belting out a tune when necessary, even though she mostly stays in a relaxed, mellow, and mild mode. Which suits her very well. “Don’t Give Up On Me” is a sophisticated pop-soul ballad, very well capable of entering the charts in one of the top positions. I’m not really into the smooth jazz-styled “One Last Time”, but Lindsey’s voice and her overall soulful singing saves this track from becoming a mediocre add-on.
I think one of the qualities of Lindsey’s new album (it’s her strongest up to now as far as I’m concerned) is her easily accessible voice and her unobtrusive forays into strongly soulful terrain which I think is very sympathetic. She seems to know exactly what she’s capable of but only focusses on her strengths when the particular song is crying out for it. Such is the case with the ultra-cool “Walk Away” (maybe cool isn’t the right word but her delivery sounds like it). The jazzy flavor of “It’s Not You It’s Me” is captivating, sensuous, and highly intoxicating. The vocal arrangement and muted trumpet give it just enough spice to keep the excitement afloat. “Opportunity” and the final cut “By My Side” are both winning, midtempo soul groovers with fairly good potential to stay strong for a longer period. I’m still going back again and again to the first two cuts on this highly entertaining album.
