Click on CD cover to listen or purchase

Through the years, soul music has given us great duos such as Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright, and Rick James and Teena Marie. These teams made some of the greatest songs of the 60s, 70, and 80s, and those songs have stood the test of time. The lyrics were heartfelt and the music was simply amazing. In 2008, as soul music continues to flourish, Miko and Carolyn, collectively known as Taniq (Talent Unique), pick up the torch that was left behind by those musical greats and continue the legacy of dynamic duos.

It's very rare to listen to a debut album such as The Life & Times of Love and not skip a track. The love that these two share for one another is genuine and they express it beautifully on this project. The lead-off single, "Everything About You," is an open love-letter in which Taniq express what they admire in each other. Listeners will relate to "Hands In My Pockets," with it's funky production, and profound lyrics: "every time I turn around/ somebody's got their hands in my pockets/ leaving me empty handed/ I can't stand it/ gotta stop it." Carolyn's supreme vocals take center stage on the jazzy number "Deja My Dear," as Miko spits some smooth spoken-word rhythms on the following track, "Cupid Shot Me." With Fender Rhodes courtesy of Kael Mboya Bradley , "Look At You Now" takes a page from the Stevie Wonder playbook and is a bonafied jam! Other highlights from this impeccable piece of work include "A Summer In Zimbabwe" and "Scale of Sacrifice."

The Life & Times of Love can be considered a modern-day masterpiece in soul music. What these two individuals have done is put the love back in love songs and presented it in a way that will be appreciated 20 years from now. Listening to this album, you get the sense that Taniq poured their heart and soul into the production, arrangement, and writing and the result is classic material that is definitely on par with the music legends mentioned above. Highly, highly recommended.     

By Christopher Whaley