CORNELL “CC” CARTER – Vindicated Soul

CDC Entertainment 2017

CORNELL “CC” CARTER –
Vindicated Soul

Back to the well of inspiration, San Fran soulster takes time-tested classics for a new spin.

Unpredictability may not be your typical R&B artist trait, but Cornell Carter doesn’t dwell on a carpe diem disposition of "In The Moment" and looks back to move forward. A covers collection, “Vindicated Soul” is a snapshot of the singer’s adventures in deep cuts perfectly capturing the spirit of mid-’70s Motor City music, yet there’s a contemporary shimmer on these timeless tracks.

Without muddling it in a melismatic manner, CC concentrates on emotional expression that’s stripped of sentimental tinsel and is sincere enough to seep into the listener’s psyche, and his take on “How Can I Get Next To You” could challenge CHAPTER 8’s original in enchanting stakes, whereas Willie Hutch’s “Brother’s Gonna Work It Out” and SLAVE’s “Watching You” open a street-smart perspective to Carter’s cinematic delivery of tribal funk. Name-checking his heroes in short intro, Cornell creates a concept of sorts and allows the songs’ flow to carefully carry their message, from the silky “All The Way Around” to “Look What You’ve Done For Me” in a way Messrs Gaye and Green would approve of: with a grain of grit rubbing against seductive vocals.

CC might be a tad too respectful to the source sometimes, yet he totally appropriates it, that’s why there’s a true vindication of the largely forgotten gems.

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July 17, 2017