As a writer who has written for
Getback Army for almost a year and a half, I feel like now is the time for me to give my opinion on how I feel about all the albums/mixtapes/EPs' I've been hyping up. I also feel it's kind of awkward to start with Zo!'s new EP. Because after all of the releases that's been going on this year (
Delightful Bars, Reservoir Dogs, Suicide Music, Die in Your Lap, Black Dynamite, and Shibuya just to name a few), I kept my mouth (or keyboard) shut for the other releases. However, if it's alright with all the GA readers, I just might start a movement called "moving backwards" to pick up what's left behind and give you my opinion, in full detail, of any of the albums/mixtapes I missed. That is, if y'all cool with it.
Anyway, back to the review of "...just visiting too," I was quite surprised when I found out about this record. Quite frankly, I found out about thirty minutes prior to sharing it with y'all on GA and I couldn't help but listening to it while I was finishing the article. Thank God for my inbox or else I probably would've given it to y'all way late. But anywhoo, here's a song-to-song review to the EP just to let you know how I enjoyed it. And keep in mind that I'm doing this as if I had never been in my family reunions and heard the originals being played at BBQs' and such. Aight, here we go!
"Perfect Angel" (feat. Yahzarah)
When I first heard that
Yahzarah was re-doing the classic '74 Minnie Riperton track written by Stevie Wonder - OOPS! Freudian typo slip. I mean, when I heard that Yahzarah was coming out with a hot new single for the young'ns called "Perfect Angel," I was wondering how well she would pull it off. After listening to 'Zarah's sweet vocals crooning soothingly over Zo!'s soulful musical accompaniment, I'll say she pulled it off extremely well. Her vocals purely matched the feelings of true love in this song. Her gentle voice invites a playful vibe, but the song is not childish in any way. This song is definitely something I would buy from hearing that alone. This track is truly a great introduction of how the rest of the EP will turn out.
"Nights Over Egypt" (feat. Carlitta Durand)
Close your eyes. Imagine you're in a place where there's sand but no water. A place where there's no city lights (word to Nicolay!), but the atmosphere is luminous with moonlight. Streets and metropolises are long gone as they're replaced with pyramids and ancient monuments. This is what you'll get hearing "Nights Over Egypt" for four minutes and some seconds. You'll be out of your world and shift into somewhere that never changes, but becomes more precious as time passes. The smooth singing of
Carlitta Durand freely floats around the song as if it's a spirit, but it is not haunting like a ghost. She sung this song like it belongs to her and there's nothing to complain about on this one, just relax and enjoy.
"Crazy You" (feat. Sy Smith)
Now, I said that I wouldn't say anything about the originals, but this one is an exception. If there's one rule on covering the works of Prince Rogers Nelson, it better be perfect! It's no secret that Prince is anal, in a good way, when recording his songs. I'm sure when Prince birthed "Crazy You," he made sure it was clean, crisp, and just right. Zo! exceeded that challenege by giving the song his own acoustic geetar and keyboard touch, while never taking the essential original vibe away from the song. Zo!'s D.C. sisteren
Sy Smith is the perfect lady to pick for this song, not that 'Zarah or Carlitta wouldn't've to' it up, as well. Smith sang on the joint so beautiful, she gave the Prince joint new life, without mercilessly killing it. That's the last thing we need is a zombified Prince song, right?
"Holding You, Loving You"
Zo! proves that he can keep it thoro on his own as he let the keyboards do the sainging for him. Although the original contained vocals (So I broke the rules, sue me!), this song can be enjoy with or without vocals. I often catch myself riding in the car with this joint on blast. So overall, this joint is car-tested and eardrum-approved.
"My Flame" (feat. Phonte)
This song is one of the reasons I clicked download faster than Quagmire can say "giggedy." Zo! really did his thing on this joint and
Phonte doesn't fail on this one, either. Most young folks around my age would probably mistake this for that Biggie song, but they'll quickly learn how grown folk it is as soon as Tay sings. I like the hidden surprise at the end, too. That left me with a Kool-Aid smile, f'real.
"Somethin' Special" (feat. Yahzarah)
Here's one thing I like about Zo! Zo! doesn't only pick tunes we're really familiar with, but something that's been overlooked. A buried treasure that was found in the deep underground and it contains the most precious jewelery and gold that obtained more value than before. That's what I got when I heard Zo! & Yahzarah's rendition of The Dude's "Somethin' Special." Zo! polished the gold with his instruments and Yahzarah's vocals shaped the diamonds into a faceted gem. Not that you can tell that the original song has aged for almost 30 years, because it's so timeless. Zo! just made the song even more fresher (horrible grammar, I know) that it'll never need to be refrigerated. This song's cold, end of story.
"The Highways of my Life (Pts. 1 & 2)" (feat. Darien Brockington)
D-Brock, if you're reading this, I want to let you know that you the man in this track! Not many can pull off vocally traveling the same footprints Ronald Isley left in his path, because few did it successfully without getting lost. Brockington wasn't the lost dude, he took the ball and ran it all the way to touchdown with no defense team in sight. Zo! even took the classic song and turned it into his own on the "Part 2" version. Everything sounded different, but it still blended in with the original part one without sounding choppy. D-Brock and Zo! gets a 5 + 5 on this one.
Overall,
...just visiting too is something that should be in your collection. If you don't have any money, no need to worry about it 'cause it's for DE FREE! The EP's so good, I would get it if it's for DE FEE! Zo! earnestly learned every word for word and note for note of the songs he covered. He took the task very seriously, but still kept the music something you can dance, vibe, or chill out to. The guest singers on the EP took the mission devotedly, as well. They all brought their A game and it's definitely something I'm sure the original artists would be very proud of. Even the late Minnie Riperton is probably two-stepping to this at Soul Heaven right now, I know I would. Download this A.S.A.P!
Woody Black's Grade:
10 of 10 (A+)
