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Quality Time (Heartbeat, 1999) Glen Washington has become known for recycling old Studio One rhythms for his new material, but on Quality Time, newcomer Alpheus takes this practice to an all-time high (or low, depending on your point of view). Every tune on this album uses Studio One music -- and not re-workings, but the original tracks. Thus, upon my initial listen, I was thrown off a bit not only by the familiarity of the music, but also by the fact that at times it sounds like he's singing next to a record player, because his voice is audibly clearer and less gritty and distant in sound than the music. Getting past the initial retch, however, you come to appreciate Alpheus' smooth vocals and the strong songwriting on Quality Time. Even though the music is very, very familiar (You keep expecting different words to come out of his mouth.), the new melodies have been crafted with an intentionally antique, classic vibe that matches the music so well, you might forget the original tunes (well, in a couple of cases). The overall style is generally lovers rock (with old-fashioned rock steady overtones), somewhat similar to the aforementioned Washington. Granted, these songs aren't great, but together they create a decent retro package (complete with brief, sub-3:00 running times) that should appeal to fans of the Studio One sound. |
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