I’ve been stewing on some different albums for a few weeks, undecided on what I’d recommend. Here are some quick takes…

Chante Moore has a new release on Peak Records called Love the Woman, and with a long-standing 15-year career since her debut single, “Love’s Taken Over”, she’s considered a dependable artist. Her voice is R&B without the over-commercialization element. “Special” focuses on a woman’s self-worth, and “Give Me Time” was ultimately the song that got her to walk down the aisle to marry fellow R&B vocalist Kenny Lattimore. “Love The Woman” is damn sexy without being over the top, and “First Kiss” creates a floating jazz atmosphere that suits Moore’s vocal styling. Old-school R&B fans will love Moore’s latest album, a nice combination of R&B and jazz, that showcases love and respect in eleven tracks.

Ryan Cabrera has a great new album called The Moon Under Water. It’s enjoyable and it’s pop/radio-friendly, but if the singles were to stand alone, it’s not as strong. “In Between Lights” is an example of Cabrera’s fun sound—effortless, harmless and something you’d hear on One Tree Hill. “Enemies” is a simmering rock/pop track, filled with darker hooks, and one of the strongest tracks because it shows the potential of Cabrera’s undeniable talent. I don’t know what to say about “Say” other than it’s a good sing-along song at a concert and could easily cross over into the country realm. I really love “Rise (The Dog Barks)”, with its atmospheric rock/pop, and it has the potential to be remixed into a dance track. I would love to see Cabrera be more experimental with his sound next album, with maybe more of a U2-ish type record. The album closes with “I Will Remember You” which was a 2006 single, featured on the final episode of Will & Grace and is one of the strongest songs on The Moon Under Water. A good balance of pop/rock, Cabrera is one of the best young artists in music today but I feel he has the best years ahead of him and I hope he keeps challenging the musical boundaries.

YouTube Video of the Week
Cyndi Lauper performing her new single, “Into the Night Life”, on The View, from the great new album, Bring Ya to the Brink!

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