Q - Soul Bossa Nostra

Album Review

Other than a handful of one-offs, producer, composer, and arranger Quincy Jones has been busy outside of the music world, acting as a film producer and a cultural ambassador. Q: Soul Bossa Nostra is his first proper "new" album in 15 years, though it revisits tracks he either composed, recorded, or produced previously with a host of the current era's most popular artists from the R&B, pop, and hip hop worlds. Given his rep, the star power here is not surprising. They re-record classic songs with new singers, or in some cases, add vocals to tracks that never had them at all. The lead-off single is a remake of Shuggie Otis' classic "Strawberry Letter 23," which Jones produced for the Brothers Johnson in 1977. The vocal and production by Akon employ shimmering, slippery hip-hop rhythms, Auto-Tune, and layers of programmed keyboards and backing vocals. The oft-sampled hit "Soul Bossa Nova" appears here as a collaboration between Naturally 7 and Ludacris (who has sampled it himself). Q composed "Ironside" for the '70s television series; he uses the original orchestral and vocal tracks with a rap by Talib Kweli on top. "Tomorrow," with John Legend, was cut by Q and Tevin Campbell in 1990. Campbell is here on a remake of "Secret Garden"; he and Barry White appeared on the signature cut. This version keeps White's vocal, and adds Robin Thicke, LL Cool J, Usher, and Tyrese. "Get the Funk Out of My Face," with Snoop Dogg, retains the Brothers Johnson feel. "P.Y.T." is remade here by T-Pain and Thicke. Bebe Winans' reading of "Everything Must Change, is easily the classiest thing here; it stands out as utterly beautiful. Soul Boss Nostra feels more like a tribute exercise than an album, assembled more for radio play and to attract the holiday and single-track download markets.