Impromp2 - It Is What It Is (Digital reissue 2009)

I've always associated the phrase "it is what it is" with ESPN's on-air personalities and the jocks they interview. It's the perfect sports cliché because it allows athletes to blame someone or something else for their failures while putting the onus on the listener to figure exactly what they are saying. "You saw it!" the losing player will exclaim. "It is what it is!" Note, the phrase is sually a loser's refrain. It would border on arrogance for Tom Brady to utter the phrase after the Patriots hung half a hundred on somebody. "Tom. Were the Redskins that bad, or are you guys that good?" Brady: "Well, Suzy. It is what it is."

The music duo Impromp 2's remove the phrase from the realm of jockdom by naming their new album It Is What It Is. Johnny "Johnny B" Britt and Sean "Sean E Mac" Thomas see themselves making the same kind of musical statement Duke Ellington made when he famously said, "there are only two kind of music. Good music and all that other stuff." For Thomas and Britt, the phrase "it is what it is" allows the duo to shout from the mountaintop, DON'T' CATERGORIZE US.

The duo makes that musical statement of belief clear on the first song, which is also the title track. The song opens with a DJ preparing to interview Britt and Thomas about the new album. After an introduction, in which the DJ mistakenly assumes that Impromp 2 is a new group, she wonders how It Is What It Is  should be categorized. The balance of the song features a variety of voices asking the duo how they would categorize themselves - jazz, hip-hop, funk, R&B, neo-soul or pop. After each question, the artists sing, "it is what it is."

That's throwing the gauntlet down. In essence, Britt and Thomas want listeners to worry more about the quality of the music and spend less time putting artists into categories. So, how does "It Is What It Is" measure up as a piece of musical art? Is it good music, or all that other stuff?

This is good music, but it's unlikely that Impromp 2 will be able to avoid being categorized. Every artist gets categorized. Being ghettoized is the biggest problem confronting R&B/soul artists, and the two are not the same. Artists can and often do move in and out of categories. Being ghettoized unfairly limits the exposure of worthy groups like Impromp 2. The fact that Britt and Thomas feel the need to make a statement by naming this album It Is What It Is shows that they are aware of the challenges they face.

 This is an R&B/soul album that seamlessly draws from influences such as hip-hop, spoken word, funk and jazz. These styles flow throughout the album, and can often be heard on the same song. The tune "I Wanna Marry You" is an excellent example of how the duo fuses spoken word, jazz and funk. The song falls into a deep funk groove with the thumping bass line played by the legendary Marcus Miller. That segues into Thomas's spoken-word marriage proposal, which gives way to a hook and chorus featuring the singing of Britt and vocalist Judith Hill. Jazz makes an appearance with Britt's Harmon-muted trumpet playing while hip hop is represented in a classy, understated manner with programmed drum beats.

That's the way it goes throughout this album. "It Is What It Is" features hip-hop influenced dance songs like "Dance With U," that could pack the floor at any club. The song again showcases the duo's skill at switching between genres during the course of one song. The verses feature the rapid-fire rapping/singing style of vocals that is popular among today's singers. The duo then morphs into a smooth and melodic style of singing for the hook and the chorus, which then merges into a full-blown rap at the end of the song that actually works.

 However Impromp 2's boundary breaking style works best on ballads like "I Wanna Marry You," "It's Alright" and "Keep Doin," as well as mid-tempo pieces such as "I Wanna Know."

"I Wanna Know" features another spoken word vignette paired with singing on the hook and chorus.

Impromp 2 spent several years in the mid-1990s at Motown, where they released albums on the label's Mojazz subsidiary. The group eventually left Motown, but the duo makes their fondness for their former label apparent throughout "It Is What It Is." The album features a nice cover of Marvin Gaye's "Luv 2 Ball." "It Was Love," the albums last tune, can also be seen as a nod to Gaye. "It Was Love" is a straight gospel tune, and Gaye was an artist who was willing to include a gospel song on his records - the inclusion of "Wholy Holy" on What's Going On is the most famous example.  The group also pays tribute to saxophonist J Spencer  - Impromp 2's Mojazz label mate who died of a heart attack at the young age of 35. That song features the vocals of the a cappella group Take 6.

As I mentioned before, it's going to be difficult - if not impossible - for Impromp 2 to prevent being categorized. The folks at the local superstore or neighborhood record store (if those still exist) are going to have to tell their customers something. However, if those retailers start a category for good music, It Is What It Is will be right at home.