Will Downing - EP Trilogy Collection [3CDs] (2012)

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Will Downing - EP Trilogy Collection [3CDs] (2012)

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How does an artist who rose to prominence “yesterday” stay relevant “today” or for that matter “tomorrow”? It’s been said that creativity keeps long-term relationships fresh, interesting and exciting. Recording artist Will Downing obviously believes in applying that same principle to the relationship he’s enjoyed over the years with his many loyal fans. Ever evolving and unafraid to push the sonic envelope closer to the edge, Downing follows up his 2010 release Lust, Love and Lies “audio novel” concept with an innovative “musical trilogy” entitled Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

This release represents a bold strategy to hit the moving target that is today’s music consumer. The ones from Yesterday that watched their Mom & Pop record retail stores give way to big box CD chains as well as those from Today that watched the CD chains give way to online MP3 downloads. Most importantly it seeks to get one step ahead of the customer of Tomorrow, struggling through information overload to find the music they love through traditional channels and facing the financial and moral decisions presented by digital Internet options.

To that effect, Will Downing’s Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow represents the artist’s first independent release and will fittingly be delivered in a revived format of yesterday, the EP. So named for its Extended Play, the EP is more than a single but less than a full album and in this case will represent three brilliant four-song releases that will be delivered over the course of a year.

Music lovers left hungry for something grown and sexy should rejoice over these bite-sized creations. As the name suggests, the first EP, “Yesterday”, will be the appetizer, focusing on some of Will Downing’s favorite re-makes or as he refers to them, “interpretations”, of songs of yesterday , delivered seamlessly with both his signature stylings and a deep respect for the original. The listener will be treated to an absolute classic Quiet Storm R&B set as Downing puts his stamp on The Delfonics’ – La La Means I Love You, Smokey Robinson’s – Ooh Baby Baby, Angela Bofill’s – This Time I’ll Be Sweeter and the project’s first single, the Atlantic Starr signature slow jam – Send For Me. In hand-picking these selections, Downing insightfully notes that “each song interprets love from a different point of view”.

The main course, “Today”, will arrive around Valentine’s Day 2012, and will showcase Will Downing’s well earned status as the Prince of Sophisticated Soul. Dessert gets served in the form of the projected Summer 2012 release of “Tomorrow”, which will feature Downing venturing slightly outside of the box in which some might expect him to remain.

The musical trilogy Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow represents a rare display of an artist in complete touch with his craft, his audience and the changing times that currently influence both. For the consumer, the uniquely staggered time-release schedule will keep the fresh product coming while offering the experience of focusing more deeply on fewer songs at a reduced cost to acquire. This time around, the anticipated song creations that will serve to complete the trilogy are part of the intrigue and mystique of the release. However, given the considerable quality of the body of work that is Will Downing’s “yesterday”, there is little reason to expect anything less, today, tomorrow or ever!WD

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Will Downing - EP Trilogy Collection [3CDs] (2012)

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Will Downing - EP Trilogy Collection [3CDs] (2012)

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Few artists of his generation or beyond are as consistently and succulently satisfying as veteran singer, songwriter and musician Will Downing. So experiencing Today, his second EP in an independently released trilogy, is a tautly-executed and tantalizing tease (since he's keeping the final set under wraps until June), but well worth the effort to behold it.

Even in its abbreviated state, Mr. Downing's latest is as rich and as resonant as its predecessor, starting with the flirtatious finger-snapper, "One Step Closer," where a call from a lovely lady gets hopes up for dinner, dancing and beyond. The breathless "Sexy" spells out, in sumptuous detail, how he enjoys the way that her roaming lips and hands start off a new morning. A life-long quest for love and companionship comes to an end with "The Blessing," a tender altar-worthy soliliquy that finds Will rejoicing the gift of a forever love: "God knew my heart, He blessed me with you." "Like Last Night" closes out the catchy quartet with sizzle, with Mr. Downing comparing a passionate encounter with an out-of-control blaze and practically begging to get another taste of that forbbidden flame.

Will Downing has always been creative in his approach to his music and in his interaction with his audience. And he continues his successful 2012 trilogy experiment with the excellent Today, showing again why he is the called the "Prince of Sophisticated Soul" – and why he is getting his loyal fans excited for part three. Highly Recommended.

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Will Downing - EP Trilogy Collection [3CDs] (2012)

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Unabashed devotion, forbidden lust, dance moves and giddiness about new love. Yes, 98% of today’s contemporary R&B artists have covered this lyrical ground time and time again, but it takes true aplomb to make them sound like new experiences – something that Will Downing does on his latest EP (and the final in a trilogy on his new label), Tomorrow.

The brevity of the mix and the fact that it’s a final chapter doesn’t mean that Tomorrow is lacking in depth or quality: there’s a delightful hip-hop twist on the bad-boy confessional “Here I Go (Love Sick),” a song that delights in the chemistry he shares with committed woman while expressing regret at the same time (“I know you’re wrong for me, and I know I shouldn’t be on the creep/ but when we get together its’s so lov-er-ly, such a treat, you with me, aw…..”). Just as nice are the sultry come-hither dance floor ditty, “Side To Side,” and “Falling,” where a woman puts the mojo on him so hard that he breaks out some rusty Spanish just to express himself (Will’s baritione is so fly that even an awkward attempt at a second language sounds delectable). “Only One” is a ballad that’s as firm as it is tender , conveying a promise of love that will is both exclusive and endearing. It helps to wrap up this collection with focus and finesse: “Baby you’re the victim of my past relations, I accused you of the craziness going on inside my head, my head/but your love, your trust, your belief in me, Baby, has me eating from a bowl of hurtful things that I’ve said. Forgive me…..”

Album after album, Will Downing has shown that he knows both his audience and his music. And on Tomorrow he again demonstrates that while he may not cover wildly new territory on each new release, his mastery of his genre is virtually unparalleled. Highly RecommendedWD