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Various Artists Frankie Beverly, commander-in-chief of funk/R&B outfit Maze, left an impressionable blueprint on the landscape of late-70's and ‘80s soul music. During very trying periods where the influences of disco, Euro-pop and the MTV bug formed a dimming cloud over R&B’s future, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly remained true to their sound of sophisticated Philly soul and cool West Coast funk while staying connected with their legion of fans - the same cluster of fans that shot five of their albums to the top of the R&B album charts. On Silky Soul...A Tribute to Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, those fans are entreated with a fairly-assembled cast of stars delicately paying tribute to Beverly’s musical contributions. We’ve seen these montage affairs blossom and shrivel up over the years and usually the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity outshines the actual material presented, but with Beverly’s son, Anthony, anchoring the all-star event and each artist checking their egos out at the door, this tribute feels as inspiring and relevant as the originals. It’s definitely hard to seek out major stand-outs on the disc. While most of the musical arrangements, obviously tweaked around the edges using a gutsier energy, vibrate with the sincerity of Maze’s versions, mostly each track gets its fair injection of the artists’ personality. Ledisi’s take on “Happy Feelings” is sobering and fits well on her jazzy pipes. Younger interpretations from Joe, Raheem DeVaughn and Avant fill up the set; exposing “grown folks” R&B to younger audiences. Musiq Soulchild’s innocent interpretation on the Marvin Gaye-inspired “Silky Soul” feels like a honorary exchange of love for Beverly. His vocal, surrounded by a “Steppin’ in the Name of Love” vibe, gets extra kudos for its caressing approach. Surprisingly, Kevon Edmonds’ performance on “Never Let You Down” stands out among the rest due to his passionate pleas and for conjuring up the golden days of After 7. While not as strong as her heavy-hitting urban joints, Mary J. Blige does what she can to fire up “Before I Let Go.” It’s far from replacing the original, but Maze - known for superior ballads - needed Blige’s hip-hop spunk to help give the album more tempo. The same applies for Mint Condition’s take on “Back in Stride.” Some of the acoustic funk is silenced and replenished with Mint Condition’s trademark Minneapolis-synth sound, but it works for the groovy bunch since they make sure they tailor the song into their work ethic while also inserting a good dose of youthfulness into the mix. The album bows out with “I Wanna Thank You;” a gorgeous inspirational ballad from the 1983 We Are One LP. Gospel talent from the Clark dynasty (J Moss, the Clark Sisters, Kierra Sheard) let their light shine on the finale’ while offering up their trademark runs and chilling vocal aerobics to the tune. A bit showy at times, it’s obviously the arrangement of the song from gospel producer Donald Lawrence that leaves a shadow of disappointment. It’s a little less soulful and fails to capture the angelic presence from the original. Though the talent here may outshine the honoree on the surface, the music here only proves that it has stood the test of time and validates Beverly’s place amongst his fellow peers and R&B’s living legends. The last time a tribute was this packed and overflowing with massive R&B talent was when J Records dropped their two-time Grammy award winning posthumous tribute to Luther Vandross in 2005. But Silky Soul Music... feels unselfish and flows with the same oozing passion when Maze first recorded these classic soul gems. If only the album was a little big longer and featured more upbeat offerings like “Running Away,” “I Need You” or "Feel That You’re Feelin'." Those are the album’s only gripes. With such a spectacular tribute album, we’re highly certain the band will dust off their gloves and end their twenty-seven year hiatus with a much-anticipated follow-up. Let us pray so.
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