Studio Confessions

Peven Everett has an extensive resumé as a jazz musician and house producer. He has shared the stage with Roy Hargrove and has also collaborated with Roy Davis, Jr. on a couple crucial garage/house tracks. He plays 11 instruments and is just as prone to dip into hip-hop as he is Latin jazz. So it's not difficult to see why it would be all but impossible for Everett to display or exhaust all of his capabilities within the confines of one album. Studio Confessions, his first proper album -- following numerous singles and some self-released albums, not to mention his fruitful collaborations with fellow house producers -- does a fine job of conveying his R&B inclinations. Opting to work alone and do everything himself lends an intimate touch to the album, so the title is wholly appropriate. The strengths of Studio Confessions won't smack you in the face; instead, you'll have to give these songs time to unfold and reveal their details. That's not to say it's a difficult album to get into -- quite the opposite. The songs are intimate, warm, and rich enough from play one, but they merely make for a solid contemporary R&B album on the surface. Beneath that, there are hypnotic qualities and a natural precision flowing throughout that only become evident with deeper listening. The only regret with the album is that it doesn't contain any of Everett's house productions, which is doubly frustrating considering that his mightiest one yet -- the "I Can't Believe I Loved Her" single -- was released only a few months prior to this album. That's really no matter, though. Everett is a young musician and has plenty of chances ahead of him to really mix it up. ~ Andy Kellman|

USインディー・ソウル界からまた新たな才能が出現。もともとはカーティス・ランディの作品に参加するなどコンテンポラリー・ジャズ界に身を置き、その後はハウスDJのロイ・デイヴィスJrとコラボレートするなど異色の経歴を持つ自作自演型。一連のオーガニック～ニュー・クラシカルなものとは少し異なりスピリチュアルな歌とジャズ・テイスト溢れるトラックが心地良い響きを漂わせている。大きな可能性を秘めた存在だ。
bounce (C)卯之田吉晴