The Republic of T. Archives

Back in December I made a sort of resolution. After realizing how out of it I am when it comes to what’s new in music (most of what I listen to is from previous decades), I decided this year I would make (at least) one new music purchase each month.

Here’s the deal. In the new year, I’m thinking about purchasing new music on a monthly basis. However the requirement will be that it will have to be music from an artist I’ve either never heard before or whose music I haven’t purchased before.

Fortunately, around that time ej posted his list of “the essential songs of 2004.” It seemed like a good place to start. So I picked at random from his list, and stumbled upon Tortured Soul. I found their album, Introducing Tortured Soul on iTunes, and after listening to a couple of snippets decided it would be my first new music purchase of the year.

I was not disappointed.

First of all, there is nothing tortured or torturous about their sound. The music is incredibly listenable, luxurious, and yet slightly understated. On a first listen, I wasn’t exactly sure how to characterize their music, but everything I’ve read about the puts them in the “house” category, so that’s good enough for me. When I think of house, I tend to think big, dancefloor-style beats, but what I hear from Tortured Soul is a mix of vocal harmony (something I love) and infectious beats that don’t overwhelm one another or the listener all at once. But after hearing it once, you’ll find yourself thinking of a particular song and saying to yourself “I’d like to hear that one again.”

It’s difficult to find comparison that makes sense, and it’s a bit clichéd to say “they have a sound all their own,” but they do. It’s simultaneously retro and up-to-date, bringing to mind the best of smooth 70’s R&B—particularly the vocal stylings—but set to a house beat from this decade. Given my background, I tend to focus on vocals, and these guys do not disappoint. Their voices blend perfectly, and the sound they produce makes it difficult to believe there’s only three of them.

There are only ten songs here, but believe me, you’ll end up wanting more. My favorites here are “I Might Do Something Wrong,” “Why” (probably my favorite overall), and “Enjoy It Now.”

I’ve made two other music purchases this month, the latest offerings from two of my favorite women: Vanessa Williams (which will be getting its own review a bit later) and Tina Turner.

So, now it’s February, and I have another new music purchase to make. Any suggestions out there? I’d love to hear them.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 4th, 2005 at 10:42 pm and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.