Brown Sugar [Copy Protected CD]

Brown Sugar [Copy Protected CD]

Smooth music devoid of flash but rich in vintage hip-hop and soul dominates the accompaniment to this urban love story. Mary J. Blige's "Never Been" pulses like a gentle lullaby ode to desire, and Jill Scott's "Easy Conversation" flutters with her sultry, airy voice and mellow strumming. Angie Stone's "Bring Your Heart" pulses with lazy piano countermelody and honey-sweet vocals, while Cassandra Wilson's take on Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" is understated and folkish. Mos Def provides an edge to several tracks--"Breakdown," featuring fadeaway horns, and the "fine," fiercely rhymed version of "Brown Sugar." On a similarly uptempo bent, the Roots add in funky echoes and stutters to "Act Too (Love of My Life)," Black Star's "raw" version of "Brown Sugar" is sharp-tongued, and Eric B. & Rakim's sample-happy "Paid in Full" is a sprawling trip down old-school hip-hop's memory lane. Yet for all of its nods to the past, <I>Brown Sugar</I> sounds distinctly modern. Instead of just rehashing the past, its artists celebrate the spirit of bygone days with warm affection and loving care, which envelops the soundtrack in a cohesive and comforting glow. <I>--Annie Zaleski</I>