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There's "Slippin,'" which is an up-tempo funky dance tune with the kind of hook that radio loves. There's a jazzy, stripped down cover of Stevie Wonder's soul classic "If You Really Love Me." Roderick keeps enough of the melody for the tune to be recognizable, but scatting vocalists replace the horns that punctuated the introduction in the original. That change distinguishes Roderick's version of the song, and serves to declare that "If You Really Love Me" can work as a jazz song in which an upright bass and a piano play a leading role. The sparse arrangement gives both musicians opportunity to improvise subtly within the song's melodic structure.
There's "Slippin,'" which is an up-tempo funky dance tune with the kind of hook that radio loves. There's a jazzy, stripped down cover of Stevie Wonder's soul classic "If You Really Love Me." Roderick keeps enough of the melody for the tune to be recognizable, but scatting vocalists replace the horns that punctuated the introduction in the original. That change distinguishes Roderick's version of the song, and serves to declare that "If You Really Love Me" can work as a jazz song in which an upright bass and a piano play a leading role. The sparse arrangement gives both musicians opportunity to improvise subtly within the song's melodic structure. And just when the listener gets used this jazzy version, Roderick flips the script and the song's tempo kicks into a funky overdrive.
The song "Fantasy" is there for the folks who love their ballads. This is a great song that mixes grown and sexy lyrics with a fusion of an old school smooth melody and some modern technology. "Love of My Life" is a mid-tempo groove that brings all of album's elements together: Roderick's seductive vocals, great lyrics, jazzy improvisation on the keyboards and a funky bass line. "Thinkin' Of Us," also digs deep into the funk for its bass driven groove. The song's verses feature mature lyrics and the chorus has a hook that will stay in the heads of the youngsters and their parents.
Roderick slows that funky groove down on the metaphorical tune "Slick and Deep."
The metaphor refers to the situations people slide into that in which they feel they are over their head. Those situations might be uncomfortable or maybe even a little scary, but as Roderick sings, they're "so very necessary."
Copasetic Is works because the whole is truly a sum of the individual parts. I really can't say that one song on this CD is a standout. Together, however, each song adds balance to what is really an enjoyable album.
By Howard Dukes