By Khari Gzifa
In today's "urban" musical landscape, we have been conditioned to accept some pretty weird conventions. Like all our male leads should sound like women, all of our R&B or soul (if such a category even exists, save for our pioneering artists who still carry the torch around to small venues all over the south) should use all the same sounds as hip-hop and can be easily "remixed" into rap ballads, and maybe the most important...the lyrics should be narrowly focused on lust, materialism and the most trivial aspects of relationships. If you think I sound harsh, I invite you to listen to any 5 songs in a row on any so called "Home Of R&B" and see if my descriptions do not hold up. Better yet, I dare you.
Fortunately for DMV residents and now with the power of technology the rest of the world can also benefit from the fact that this area has produced musicians for decades that defy these trite attempts at art. One such group of individuals is Fathers Children. After first gaining prominence in this area decades ago, they are back with new album "Love & Life Stories" and concert in DC to announce not only their return, but hopefully a return to real music.
I feel like I am limiting this album by simply calling it R&B, as it encompasses soul and jazz elements very prominently as well. I can paint a brief picture of the album by telling you first what is NOT on it. If you are a fan of the current state of affairs you might be looking for a lot of the same sounds you hear on the ChrisBrown-FrankOcean-TreySongz continuum, nope: you might be looking for vapid and cliché sentimentality in the lyrics, nope, not here; you might even want to hear a hot 16 from your favorite A-list rapper filled with misogyny and classist bravado, again, a no show. But what you will get is a beautiful collection of well "hand crafted" songs. And I feel the need to make note of some really exceptional musicianship throughout the album. The tracks were obviously paid special attention and they allow each lead to really shine with his lyrics as the backgrounds are so smooth, that you instantly are drawn into what you're hearing.
This leads me to my next point... I’m not trying to beat a dead horse, but I am really just beat down with all the crass and crude language present today in what are ironically called 'Love" songs. It is so refreshing to hear Fathers Children go from personal pleas on "Be Careful", with its spot on bridge that will remind you of old-school aesthetics in black musicianship, to storytelling on "Saying I Do" and all of it be done in a smooth and respectful manner. It’s nice to hear lyrics that you can play in front of grandma and the kids with no worries. Then they have songs like "Strange Place, "Are You Happy", and "2021" that all have more upbeat vibes and will serve well as soundtracks to those summer time functions. Especially "Are You Happy" which, and again I’m not trying limit them by using this comparison, only trying to paint a picture for you, some people might say puts them in the mind frame of Frankie Beverly & Maze and some of their hits that have now become anthems. And the fact that they take the time to discuss some of the problems we all face, both internal and external and even worldwide on songs like "Connect It" and "The World is Changing" is a shining example of why an album like this can be considered a rare jewel. I mean we are in the home of one of the greatest, Marvin Gaye, who pioneered using the form of music that most of today’s music directly descends from; songs that not only entertain, but educate and inspire. Fathers Children carry on that time honored tradition here, with the finesse of esteemed artists.
If you like real R&B, Soul, Funk, or if you just miss the way the radio used to sound when you could hear Stevie Wonder, Cameo, Earth Wind & Fire, The OJays and a ton of other G.O.A.T.s all within minutes of each other I suggest you check out Fathers Children's latest effort and be at their show, I’m sure you will be as relieved as I am to know that real music lives on.