Released last week, this second EP in the Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Trilogy finds Will Downing crafting even more of his brand of “Sophisticated Soul” to this listener’s delight.
With a supporting cast that features the playing and production talents of Chris “Big Dog” Davis( Keyboards/Production – One Step Closer/Sexy/The Blessing), Ron Jenkins (Bass- One Step Closer/Like Last Night), Audrey Wheeler Downing(BG Vocals – One Step Closer/Sexy/The Blessing), Dwayne “Smitty” Smith (Bass – Sexy), Randy Bowland (Guitar – Sexy/The Blessing/Like Last Night), Aja Downing (BG Vocals- Sexy), Herman “Peanut” Johnson (Drums – The Blessing), Lajuan Carter-Dent (BG Vocals – The Blessing), Mike Logan II (Drums – Like Last Night), Mike Logan (Keyboards – Like Last Night), Carol Riddick (BG Vocals – Like Last Night) the project clearly falls into the category of well-crafted music, amply crafted by expert musicians.
Please take a minute to check out these tracks from the project which is an independent release from Will, and then head on over here to purchase your copy today.
From the press release…
How does an artist who rose to prominence “yesterday” stay relevant “today” or for that matter “tomorrow”? It’s been said that creativity keeps long-term relationships fresh, interesting and exciting. Recording artist Will Downing obviously believes in applying that same principle to the relationship he’s enjoyed over the years with his many loyal fans. Ever evolving and unafraid to push the sonic envelope closer to the edge, Downing follows up his 2010 release Lust, Love and Lies “audio novel” concept with an innovative “musical trilogy” entitled Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
This release represents a bold strategy to hit the moving target that is today’s music consumer. The ones from Yesterday that watched their Mom & Pop record retail stores give way to big box CD chains as well as those from Today that watched the CD chains give way to online MP3 downloads. Most importantly it seeks to get one step ahead of the customer of Tomorrow, struggling through information overload to find the music they love through traditional channels and facing the financial and moral decisions presented by digital Internet options.
To that effect, Will Downing’s Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow represents the artist’s first independent release and will fittingly be delivered in a revived format of yesterday, the EP. So named for its Extended Play, the EP is more than a single but less than a full album and in this case will represent three brilliant four-song releases that will be delivered over the course of a year.
Music lovers left hungry for something grown and sexy should rejoice over these bite-sized creations. As the name suggests, the first EP, Yesterday released November 15 of last year was the appetizer, focusing on some of Will Downing’s favorite re-makes or as he refers to them, “interpretations”, of songs of yesterday , delivered seamlessly with both his signature stylings and a deep respect for the original. The listener was treated to an absolute classic Quiet Storm R&B set as Downing puts his stamp on The Delfonics’ – La La Means I Love You, Smokey Robinson’s – Ooh Baby Baby, Angela Bofill’s – This Time I’ll Be Sweeter and the project’s first single, the Atlantic Starr signature slow jam – Send For Me. In hand-picking these selections, Downing insightfully notes that“each song interprets love from a different point of view”.
The main course, Today, was just released last week strictly to the independent stores , itunes and amazon.com, and will showcase Will Downing’s well earned status as the Prince of Sophisticated Soul. Dessert gets served in the form of the projected Summer 2012 release of Tomorrow, which will feature Downing venturing slightly outside of the box in which some might expect him to remain.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
