THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 6, 1996 TAG: 9604050065
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
TALK ABOUT working musicians. For years, the members of Solo kept their households going by singing on the streets. First in Los Angeles, then in New York, they presented their take on classic doo-wop and soul. Then along came Jam and Lewis.
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, that is. The production team behind Janet Jackson's long string of hits each heard the group plying its trade on the same day. The message was clear: For Solo, the past was the future.
The group, which opens for R. Kelly on Sunday at Hampton Coliseum, has a gold album and two hit singles (``Heaven'' and ``Where Do U Want Me to Put It'').
In an era that finds so many R&B acts cloning a brittle, showy Boyz II Men-like style, Solo offers a warmth reminiscent of its heroes Sam Cooke and the O'Jays.
``I think it has a lot to do with the way we met,'' Solo member Eunique Mack said last month from a Los Angeles recording studio. ``We're friends. The voices are different, and a lot of other singers just want to try to sound like the current groups. I think the thing for us was, we were trying to have songs that made us feel good.''
The members of Solo try to replicate the mood of their favorite records, Mack said, rather than the exact sound.
With Jam and Lewis producing most of the group's debut album, ``Solo,'' they're able to bring the old school into the modern age.
``They interact with the artist and write songs with the artist, rather than just presenting them with a song,'' Mack said. ``We were involved in the writing; we co-wrote eight songs on the album.''
It's not just Jam and Lewis who have been impressed by Solo's skills. Michael Bolton asked them to open his recent European tour (they did), and Mack recalled meeting the O'Jays.
``We even got to do a show with them. They were really kind to us. They said they appreciated what we were doing.''
With Solo on tour with Kelly for the next several months, that's hardly the last time they'll be appreciated. ILLUSTRATION: PERSPECTIVE RECORDS photo
Solo offers a warm sound reminiscent of its heroes Sam Cooke and the
O'Jays.
by CNB