Will Downing
A Dream Fullfilled

And after the '80s, we move to the '90s, specifically in 1991. During that period, hip-hop culture took its first steps and, for better or worse, would influence black music. However, there is another side of the so-called contemporary R&B, one influenced by smooth jazz.

Already in 1986, the elegant Anita Baker had laid the foundation for this sound, in which we also find A Dream Fulfilled, a wonderful album by Will Downing from 1991.

Dapper look, baritone voice, Will revives the splendor of crooners of the past. In this work, jazz instruments like sax, brass, and piano blend perfectly with the synthesized production of that period.

In "I'll Wait", the voice of the New York artist and his backup singers create dense gospel/doo-wop atmospheres, while "Giving My All To You" is enriched with brief sax phrases, which were the predominant stylistic mark of that time.

The soul/jazz of the cover "I Try", a classic by Angela Bofill, is well-executed, with Downing's passionate voice and Michael Bearden's piano making the track evocative and on par with the original version.

Not to be missed is the velvety jazz of "For All We Know", the legendary standard of American song, while in "Something's Going On", retro swing atmospheres merge with the synthetic sounds of Roland keyboards.

The album closes with the reinterpretation of "The World Is A Ghetto", a classic by War, enhanced here by brilliant scat and guitar solos by Jonathan Butler and a driving mid-tempo rhythm.

A Dream Fulfilled shows us a Will Downing in great shape who, thanks to his warm voice full of pathos, updates the black tradition to the '90s.

I want to recommend this artist to those who already appreciate Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, or the talented Chantè Moore and Keith Washington.

Other albums by Downing are also noteworthy, such as his self-titled debut from '88, Love's The Place To Be (1993), and Moods (1995), all ideal records for a romantic evening.