Innosphere - Shine

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    I never thought I'd be saying this about a CD in 2010, but Innosphere's Shine is the definition of brevity. This 10 track CD checks in at a little more than 20 minutes. That would have been a short record even in the days of vinyl and cassette tapes when the total running time on a record was about 35 minutes. It's not clear how people will respond to a record in which four of the tracks consist of short vignettes of dialogue that find Nina Rae and pianist/composer/producer/deejay Kenny Keys talking, interview style, about their musical philosophies. Look at it this way: the songs on Shine are all pretty good - even if some of them seem to end a bit prematurely.  So the listener needs to ask if they'd be happier going six for six on Shine (remember, four of the tracks consists of dialogue) or six for 17 on some CD they get for 15 bucks at Wal-Mart.

    I never thought I'd be saying this about a CD in 2010, but Innosphere's Shine is the definition of brevity. This 10 track CD checks in at a little more than 20 minutes. That would have been a short record even in the days of vinyl and cassette tapes when the total running time on a record was about 35 minutes. It's not clear how people will respond to a record in which four of the tracks consist of short vignettes of dialogue that find Nina Rae and pianist/composer/producer/deejay Kenny Keys talking, interview style, about their musical philosophies. Look at it this way: the songs on Shine are all pretty good - even if some of them seem to end a bit prematurely.  So the listener needs to ask if they'd be happier going six for six on Shine (remember, four of the tracks consists of dialogue) or six for 17 on some CD they get for 15 bucks at Wal-Mart.

    Innosphere's loyal following in the duo's hometown of Chicago agree with Rae and Keys that less is indeed more. Rae and Keys sport broad musical backgrounds that allow them to make the most of those 20 minutes. Keys is a pianist who is also a hip-hop deejay while Rae is adept at singing jazz, blues and R&B. She also has shared stage with hip-hop star and fellow Chicagoan Common. The duo brings all of those influences to the forefront on Shine.

    They hypnotic groove of "In the Heat of the Night" has a Funkadelic meets OutKast feel. The title track is an inspirational head nodder, while the dreamy "Gotta Be Me" is an assertion for independence with a memorable hook. Fans of Chaka Kahn should pay extra attention to the spin Keys and Rae put on the classic jam "Everlasting Love." The duo gives this soul ballad a jazzy feel in which Rae channels her inner Ella Fitzgerald by singing behind the melody and stretching and bending notes. Shine is a lean record, but it's a record with more meat than fat, meaning fans have a surprising amount to chew on. Recommended.

    By Howard Dukes