4hero* – Play With The Changes

This is an incredible album. It had been a while since 4Hero put out a long player. Mark Clair & Dennis McFarlane are perhaps the only 21st century producers in the mold of Charles Stepney, the late, great Chess Records producer and musician, whose string arrangements will tingle the short hairs on your neck. Stepney produced Minnie Riperton's "Come To My Garden" and 4Hero pay homage to Stepney/Riperton throughout this album. "Morning Child" will give you shivers. The songs are all memorable and the production is meticulous, lush and gorgeous. 4Hero's remix of Riperton's "Les Fleurs" was thankfully not a one shot deal. It was in my top 10 of 2007. Highly recommended.

If anyone could call their album _Play With the Changes_, it would certainly be 4 Hero, who have embraced so many genres in their storied career: drum 'n' bass, broken beat, and now, neo-soul. Extending the downtempo soul that played a prominent role on _Creating Patterns_, they go full-on soul here, from the folk-hippie-drenched "Morning Child" (reminiscent of "Les Fleur") to the funk of the title track. But those who love jazzy broken beats won't be disappointed either: "Look Inside" provides that with a fullness of sound, while "Sink or Swim" goes for a much more spare arrangement. "Bed of Roses" gets into a nice groove, while "Gonna Give It Up" almost whispers at a house rhythm. Despite all the evident talent here, however, I don't feel as much personality here as on their earlier albums; there aren't any moments that really hit you with a pow (although "Stoke Up the Fire" has a certain raucous energy to it). Still, the instrumental "Sophia" has a nice sophistication, while "Superwoman" sounds like soul straight from the 70s (even if it's appendage "Where Were You When I Needed You?" detracts from the overall feel). It's obvious that 4 Hero are still charging ahead full-steam, but they're not afraid to change direction either.