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Sandra St Victor - Gemini: Both Sides - XECD 32

The album is billed as being essential if you like artists such as Gill Scott, India Arie, Erika Badu, and recent Nu soul. I am not sure if overall the album comes up quite up to the standard of these but nonetheless the album starts on the dark side with 'Slipping into darkness'- a dark and heavy number. The lyrics are certainly quite hardhitting in places, for example on "Childs gotta gun", which is actually quite chilling.

Lyrically, the album is very strong, I find it easier to get into than Jill Scott for example and certainly on the dark side of the album, that is the first eight tracks, it is very heavy stuff. It is clearly what is intended and to an extent it is compelling listening, but you need to be in the right mood.

This album has been completed by Sandra herself and it has taken several years but the quality of the people she has brought in to help her shows what people think of her. Her previous album five years earlier was dropped and so she has decided to put this one together on her own. Clearly with this artistic control, she has put together an album of quality and it has been critically well received. For example on the track "dizzy", she has Donald Byrd, Roy Ayers, Mark Batson (who has worked with India Arie) and the guys from Family Stand where she was the lead singer on their hit "Ghetto Heaven". Track eight features the Roots, a Roots production and also backed by them.

On the second half of the album, 'the inside', tracks nine to sixteen, it is much more personal and more about personal relationships. This starts of with "they're cool" which is much lighter than the previous side of the album and by this time you really want a lighter side! And this is a good track! 'Molasses rain' is my pick from this side, written and produced by The Family Stand. 'Act of beauty' is also a stunning track.

This is a excellent album and I hope it gets the commercial success she deserves !