Isley Brothers - Eternal (14 tracks) +Album Reviews

A Return To The Vintage Isleys Sound

Tony_Tone | Washington, D.C., District of Columbia United Stat | 08/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a long time fan of The Isley Brothers been a fan nearly 30 years.. I was thrilled to know they were going to release a new CD.. It was worth the wait Eternal marks a return to the vintage Isley Brothers sound of the 70's.. I loved their last CD "Mission To Please" but in my humble opinion the CD didnt have the Isleys trademark sound.. Though working with more of the contemporary writers and producers likes of Raphael Saddiq, R.Kelly, Steve Huff, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis these talented gentlemen stayed true to the old classic Isley sound.. You will notice right off the back the vibe of this CD with the Raphael Saadiq produced " Move Your Body" this song will remind you one their classic songs 1975 Who's That Lady this song have the same type of vibe to it as that classic tune.. One of the best songs on the entire CD in my opinion is their sexy remake of the Chic's 1979 Gem A Warm Summer Night this song was updated a little lyrically but the song still has that sensual groove as the orginial version.. Red hot producer Steve Huff hits the mark with three songs You Deserve Better, Just Like This, You're All I Need all these songs terrific the latter song mentioned will certainly remind long time fans of the glory days of this great group.. The best song on this entire Cd in my opinion is the Jimmy Jam/ Terry Lewis produced Settle Down, this song is worth the price of the Cd alone.. When you hear this song such great ballads as " Dont Say Good Night", Groove With You, Sensuality.. Other noteworthy tracks on an great Cd Contagious w/ R.Kelly & Chante Moore, a very soulful remake of Chicago's If You Leave Me Now, Said Enough w/ Jill Scott, You Didnt See MeThis is truly a great CD if you are an Isley Brothers fan you will have to add this to your collection or just a fan of good r&b music this is the CD for you"

He's Baaacckkk!

Jalen | Houston, TX United States | 08/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I heard "Contagious", I knew Mr. Biggs was on to something Bigg! This CD has that trademark Ron Isley sound, style, and grace. And, don't get me wrong, Ernie definately represents playing back up. "Ernie's Jam" gives listeners just that..Ernie jamming! I love this CD, it reaches across generations because Ronald and Ernie Isley stick with what they do best, and if you ever loved ANY Isley Brothers song, then you will Love this entire CD."

Isley's finally find their groove again

Scott Woods | Columbus, Ohio United States | 09/23/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the album that Isley Brothers fans think they're buying every time one of their records comes out: a modern re-envisioning of the classic soul group that has too many funky members to die; a record full of verve and punch and Isley-patented smoothness. Almost every record they've put out since 1970-anything has been highly suspect at best, a downright smack in the face to any listener of music over the age of 21 who's ever bobbed their head to "Between The Sheets" at worse, even in it's many sampled forms. This record redeems them (almost) completely of their past transgressions of the last 20 years. The Isley's have finally locked into the marriage of what's hot and what's Themselves.There is more consistency to this record than previous ones for a number of reasons, two of which leap immediately to mind: they got top producers to do more than 1 song on the album, opting to divvy up the good about 3 tracks per studio mite (Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis, R. Kelly, and another guy who's name escapes me at the moment. Steve Huff?...). Now, these producers haven't been exactly knocking bomb tracks over the 500 wall in recent years (though they've admittedly had their moments), but they find a little more guidance from the Isleys here (Ron specifically, I'm sure) after the group's previous platinum success out of the blue on their last record. I imagine the scene went something like this:Ron Isley: "Look, we released a single that blew threw the roof. It was a seduction jam. We did a slow jam CD back in the day and it was hot. Dagnabit it, y'all, give me the booty-licious flavor I've been hunkering for since "Voyage to Atlantis", you raggedy mothers."And that's how "Eternal" was born. At least, that's how it sounds like it was born, since it has tons of the smooth balladry (if not terribly slow jammy) of their classic stuff outfitted for the new millenium with punchy snares and throbbing kicks. This is the Isleys of the 2000s, and it actually sounds pretty damn good. I would have liked to seen some of the producers break out of the radio edit mode and let Ernie wear a guitar out a little more here and there when appropriate, but what we get is good and solid stuff.Welcome back, boys."

Deserving of an extra 1/2 star

Reginald D. Garrard | Camilla, GA USA | 08/24/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Unfortunately, the ratings system here does not allow for the extra 1/2 star. This album is deserving of more than just four stars. The hit single "Contagious" is as close to operatic as any soul song could be. Even without the video, one can imagine this along the lines of anything composed by Verdi or any other classical great. Besides the aforementioned hit, The Isleys score on the following: "Warm Summer Night," "You're All I Need," a reworking of Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now," "Said Enough" (featuring newcomer Jill Scott), "Ernie's Jam" and "Think."While not up to par with "Mission to Please," "Eternal" still shows why the brothers have been an musical influence for over four decades."

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