CD review time again?

Remy Shand's The Way I Feel is out of print, according to my local music store. I'm not sure that's true, given that neither Amazon's nor Motown's web sites show the disk as out-of-print. Released in 2002, it didn't sell at all well and it was released on a label, Motown, that's never been kind to releases that don't sell well. They have never shown a willingness to let quality recordings take the time to find an audience and sell steadily. It's better than most of what Motown released that year and if you want it, I hope that Amazon is still selling it when you read this.

So, what is this disk? Remy Shand is a Canadian fellow whose singing, writing, and performing is rooted primarily in the music of the seventies, especially Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, with a nice dash of Prince thrown in. I don't want you to think that this is a derivative disk, here, rather that it has an excellent stylistic pedigree. His singing alternates behind a sugary falsetto and a full voice that sounds a touch adenoidal at the top of phrases. It's well-suited for his romantic, meditative songs.

The album's got a hermetic feeling, the risk a musician takes when he plays all (well, nearly all) the instruments himself. With an emphasis on romance, even the up-tempo songs are slightly gentle grooves with a mildly funky set of rhythms based on electric piano riffs, mellow guitar, and simplified drum parts. There are some well-chosen horn accents here and there and while there isn't much excitement (even a bit of brooding), the overall feel of the album is one of calm, confident romance.

8 out of 10

CDs listened to today:

• Konono No. 1: Congotronics
• Witold Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 3
• Prince: Batman