Devin B. Thompson is a vocalist and songwriter based in Chicago. Tales Of The Soul features mostly his original material, though also contains a few good covers. The music here, as you might have guessed from the album’s title, is soul, with Devin’s vocals having a smooth, friendly quality. His is a voice of passion and joy. Backing the vocalist on this album are Steve Gomes on bass, Robb Stupka on drums, Johnny Moeller on guitar, Kevin Anker on piano, Benjie Porecki on organ, Mark Merella on percussion, Kenny Rittenhouse on trumpet, Joe Donegan on trumpet, Antonia Orta on saxophone, and Bill Holmes on trombone, as well as a couple of guests on certain tracks. Caleb Green, Christal Rheams and Kennedy Thompson provide backing vocals.
As mentioned, this album features mostly original material, but there are three covers. Interestingly, they are positioned as the first three tracks, the album opening with “Love To See You Smile,” a song written by David Ervin and Kenny Pierce, and recorded by Bobby Bland, who released it as a single in 1978. This is a cheerful and sweet soul number, and Devin B. Thompson does an excellent job with it. Just listen to the way he delivers lines like “But that was yesterday/You were right on time/And you straightened out my mind/Moved my pain away.” Oh yes, he fully inhabits this song. In these difficult times, my girlfriend’s smile can suddenly make everything feel all right, and this song offers a simple and direct declaration, “I love to see you smile.” It sounds like a celebration of that sign of happiness. And honestly, what makes us happier than seeing those we love happy? Things then get a little funky with his version of “I’m Gonna Cry A River,” a song written by Don Davis and H. Bomar, and recorded by Robert Ward & Ohio Untouchables and by Little Milton. This is another love song in which he promises to cry “a great big river” if his woman ever leaves him. I really dig that instrumental section at the end, particularly the guitar work, that instrument feeling like it has suddenly been freed. Robben Ford plays guitar on this track. The third and final cover is “Something You Can Do Today,” written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon A. Huff, and recorded by Joe Simon, who included it on his 1972 LP Drowning In The Sea Of Love. It’s a sweet-sounding number that begins with the gentle repetition of “Yeah,” a positive opening if ever there was one. “Don’t put off for tomorrow something you can do today,” Devin then advises us, and that delicious work on keys puts us in the mood to do whatever it is we should be doing today, particularly if it is related to love, showing that special person how much we care. I love the passion in his vocal performance, particularly toward the end. “I said I’m trying to get close to you, I’m trying to get close to you, baby.”
We then get into the original material, beginning with “Back Together,” a song with a funky vibe and a smooth vocal performance. “This time it’s going to be forever/Look at us, now we’re back together.” Yes, it is a song about second chances, even in spite of doubts, as he expresses in the line “In my mind, I never thought we would ever speak again.” I love this track’s percussion, which seems to indicate that things are, in fact, going to be good between the two people of the song. “I’ve learned my lesson,” he sings toward the end, then “I know I’m ready.” And I believe him. “My life needs fixing,” he confesses at the beginning of “I Ain’t No Good,” and then wonders why the woman would “want to mess around with someone like me.” He even says “I’m the one your mother warned you about,” a cliché, to be sure, but you get the sense he means it. The line “I’m a cheater and a liar” makes me think of a certain person who will soon be out of a job in Washington D.C., though of course that person doesn’t have the self-knowledge that the character of this song has. This song has a great groove.
“Get Home Tonight” is a song about a husband eager for a romantic evening with his wife. “I can’t wait to get home tonight.” Ah yes, I know the feeling. Of course, these days many people are working from home, but it is still important to create memorable evenings for that special person. Jimmy Earl plays bass on this track. I like the vocal riffing that Devin B. Thompson tends to do at the end of these tracks as they’re fading out. In this one in its concluding moments, he adds, “Gonna squeeze you/Do it in the moonlight/Make you feel all right tonight.” That’s followed by “Can’t Get Over You,” an interesting song about being charmed by, and infatuated with, a faithless woman, knowing he should get away, and also knowing he just can’t. I really like that lead on organ halfway through. Then in “Deeper,” the rumors are that he is the one carrying on with other women, but he is here to put those rumors to rest, promising that his love “is deeper than you might think.” And then there are rumors that she is cheating on him. What is going on with people in this song? Don’t they have any other couples to gossip about?
“Read Your Mind” is a funky and fun number you can move to, and it features Robben Ford on guitar. In this song, Devin is trying to figure out what went wrong in the relationship, and asking the other person to just tell him. “I can’t read your mind,” he sings. Oh, is there any man alive who has not at one point or other uttered those words to a woman? “Read Your Mind” is followed by “Time After Time,” and from the moment this one begins with that work on piano, I’m into it. Devin B. Thompson delivers a sexy, soulful vocal performance. The album then concludes with “Tell Me,” in which Devin sings “Tell me what it is about my skin that you don’t like.” It is depressing that a song about racism is so relevant, but here we are. The last four years have taught us that the problem is pervasive and systemic. This track features some excellent work on guitar during that instrumental section. Yeah, this song has something important to say, but it is also something you can groove to, and it is one of my personal favorites.
CD Track List
- Love To See You Smile
- I’m Gonna Cry A River
- Something You Can Do Today
- Back Together
- I Ain’t No Good
- Get Home Tonight
- Can’t Get Over You
- Deeper
- Read Your Mind
- Time After Time
- Tell Me
Tales Of The Soul was released on October 30, 2020 on Severn Records.
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