Although this is Latrice Barnett's first solo album it's obvious from the opening track that she's no amateur. Having previously worked with the likes of Andy Caldwell, and the Handsome Boy Modeling School as well as having opened for Sade, the Counting Crows and BB King, Barnett is more than comfortable in her skin and it shows. This album oozes with the deep soulful house vibes that defines the San Francisco scene.

On Illuminate Barnett recruits deep house all-stars Jay-J and Kaskade for production duties which makes for a solid beat complimenting her soulful voice. Illuminate sets Barnett apart from the rest of the house vocalist pack by pointing up her songwriting skills. I'm a fan of deep house but the one problem I have with it is the tendency to fall into the one line chorus and verse. Barnett escapes this, for the most part and it's a refreshing take on soulful house.

The album is a solid effort from top to bottom with the influences of the producers showing themselves on different tracks. The title track is very heavily a Kaskade track, I'm pretty sure the opening riff is a just a re-jigging of the "Stepping Out" riff from Kaskade's own album. Despite this the album remains distinctive and the influential help of Kaskade and J-Jay do more to lend the album a feeling of familiarity rather than one of repetition.

"Make My Heart" is undoubtedly the gem of the album. Combining some deep beats, soulful guitar and a catchy if simple scatting type chorus makes this track a prime target for hot summer clubbing.

"Lessons Learned" is another standout on this album. This is a quality R&B song, slow and sultry as Bennett decries the "lessons learned from goodbye." Miguel Migs has been tapped to remix some tracks and starting here wouldn't be a bad idea.

This disc strikes a good balance between after-hours lounging and more clubby tracks. While there are no immediate floor fillers on the album, with some remixing I wouldn't be surprised to hear some of these tunes show up this summer in clubs everywhere.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5 a solid "borrow"

Track Listing:

Hold the Light
Celebrate
Make My Heart
Love Is
Take It From Here
Let Me Tell You Why
On & On
Lessons Learned
Déjà Vu
Bless This House
Keep It Alive
Spirits
Pleasure Unlimited
My Endless Way

co-posted on www.smalltownunderground.net
Edited: [!--GH--]