Ether Music
2006
Sing (If You Want It)
About This Album
Back in the early '90s, when "neo-soul" was nowhere to be found and groups like Jodeci and Shai ruled R&B with Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey, Omar was overseas championing a newer version of soul with a little less dance-camp than his British brethren Soul II Soul. Sing (If You Want It), Omar's sixth release since his 1990 debut (There's Nothing Like This), is the latest effort in a string of what has to be considered some of the most consistently excellent soul albums in recent memory. Sing is a rarity in that the difficulty in getting through the album lies not in the urge to skip tracks, but to repeat a song, like "All for Me" -- his duet with Angie Stone, an "in love" song with the tastiest groove -- or "Your Mess," whose funk is so arresting and jarring that it'll make you frown. And whereas many of Omar's stateside ilk (Donnie, Glenn Lewis) have profited from attempts to be Stevie Wonder carbon copies, Omar is a reinvention of the legend, a contemporary update. His vocal phrasing and scatting -- a quality that adds much texture to his songs in that he employs his voice like an instrument, the way jazz singers do -- borrow a healthy amount from Stevie, but Omar's own creativity and vision redesigns Stevie's blueprint.
Track List (try tracks 4,6,7,9,10 and 13)

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