Welcome To Doc City (Deluxe Edition)
Self-Released, 2023
8/10
Listen to Welcome To Doc City (Deluxe Edition)
An extremely diverse listen that brings musicians versed in R&B, jazz, country and hip-hop, among other genres, these well thought out songs touch on universal themes of love, loss and hope via Doc City’s (aka Dr. Clarence Taylor) soulful vision.
“What Love Is” gets the listen off to a very intimate start, where soulful brass from Sean Jones and calm drums complement the very powerful and smooth pipes of Evelyn Wright, and “When You Are Near” follows with Lafayette Carthon’s twinkling piano alongside the heartfelt, poetic singing from Tina Farmer.
Further on, “No Goodbyes” showcases Reggie White’s soothing and stirring voice, as the agile piano adds much to the sublime beauty, while “Heart Just Won’t Give Up” is full of Kevin Oliver’s cozy guitar lines and Steven Mackey’s charming bass lines in the dreamy R&B album highlight, where the vocals soar.
Closer to the end, the spiritual and gospel rooted “I’ll Still Be There For You” offers plenty of bare, stirring song craft that uses subdued brass and gentle guitar amid Kelly’s thoughtful singing, and “What’ll I’ll Do”, the last track before a few different versions of earlier songs, brings a dreamy duet of timeless, reflective and wise songwriting.
A very thoughtful listen that discusses social/political issues as well as matters of the heart, Taylor and company make for absorbing balladry as well as groove filled variations of soul/R&B, and the immense amount of talent present sure does warrant revisiting the 12 songs.
Travels well with: Acute Inflections- Let Go; Connie Han- Secrets Of Inanna