Thursday, September 20, 2007
"Nite and Day," Al B. Sure! (4/30/88)
Impact-wise, this hits so much harder than something like "I Want Her," even as it's gloriously so much softer. Not only did Sure! make a huge fashion splash amongst black America (seriously, Al made acid- and stone-washed denim), he crucially brought high-pitched male vocals back to the roost. He's got a sexy(ish) lower register, yes, but it's when singing high that Sure!'s voice is honest-to-God gossamer. Also of import: Sure! co-wrote and co-produced pretty much everything he released, particuarly on his debut In Effect Mode, and for a contemporary R&B male vocalist, let alone a new artist, that was a big deal. Of course, none of this would matter a damn if "Nite" weren't so perfect: Sure!'s vocals are the softest kiss, lips just barely brushing your skin; the instrumentation is incredibly plush for what's in essence a fairly spare, totally synthetic track; "Nite"'s arrangement is like a heavenly choir; its production perfectly caught - and simultaneously made - the mood of '88. Whether in the squiggly keyb fingers that pop up here and there or the icy-cool minor-key chords underpinning the background, "Nite and Day" is a masterpiece because just as much (if not more) attention was paid to its details as to the big picture. And yes, I recognize that the lyrics are nothing much - they're sweet nothings, what else do you want? The epitome of a great love song, this is nothing short of perfection. A+
Impact-wise, this hits so much harder than something like "I Want Her," even as it's gloriously so much softer. Not only did Sure! make a huge fashion splash amongst black America (seriously, Al made acid- and stone-washed denim), he crucially brought high-pitched male vocals back to the roost. He's got a sexy(ish) lower register, yes, but it's when singing high that Sure!'s voice is honest-to-God gossamer. Also of import: Sure! co-wrote and co-produced pretty much everything he released, particuarly on his debut In Effect Mode, and for a contemporary R&B male vocalist, let alone a new artist, that was a big deal. Of course, none of this would matter a damn if "Nite" weren't so perfect: Sure!'s vocals are the softest kiss, lips just barely brushing your skin; the instrumentation is incredibly plush for what's in essence a fairly spare, totally synthetic track; "Nite"'s arrangement is like a heavenly choir; its production perfectly caught - and simultaneously made - the mood of '88. Whether in the squiggly keyb fingers that pop up here and there or the icy-cool minor-key chords underpinning the background, "Nite and Day" is a masterpiece because just as much (if not more) attention was paid to its details as to the big picture. And yes, I recognize that the lyrics are nothing much - they're sweet nothings, what else do you want? The epitome of a great love song, this is nothing short of perfection. A+
Comments:
(0) comments
Post a Comment
