Blues, soul, and gospel roots form the power source for CeCe Teneal & Soul Komotion, Orlando, Florida’s hottest blues/soul band. Their new album, #5or5000, drops today, June 22.
The band is made up of Chris Baptiste (keyboards, MD), Terrell Kimble (bass), Lavon Rushing (guitar), James Adkins (drums), and CeCe Teneal on lead vocals. Formerly part of the B.B. King All-Star Band, they know how to bring the funky heat.
#5or5000 includes 12 tracks. First up is a high-octane, soul-filled, blues number called “90 Mph.” A powerful, crunching beat and pulsing bass impart a heady rhythm, while Rushing’s guitar snarls with fiery tones. Teneal’s voice, rich with dazzling energy, elevates the tune to the top of the sonic mountain.
“What I’d Do To Get Your Love” back, written by CeCe’s mother, blues singer Yvonne Jackson, rides a cool, bluesy soul melody rife with creamy textures and tender hues. The emotional impact of the song is undeniable since many of us carry a torch for a lost love we’d like to have back. One of our favorites on the album is “Common Ordinary Housewife,” a lush blues burner full of ferocious vitality. Teneal struts her copious vocal talent on this tune, boiling the atmosphere with incandescent timbres.
A heartbreaking blues tune, “Lonely (Even When You’re Here)” oozes melancholic colors like a river of tears. The quavering organ really hits the spot, imbuing the tune with weeping washes. “Alive” is a beautiful bluesy soul number with emerging textures building to a raging storm of instrumental harmonics. We love the glossy background vocal harmonies, adding hints of delicious gospel flavors. CeCe’s voice soars with passionate, penetrating urgency, sending shivers up your spine.
The last track on the album, “Home,” merges soul, blues, and gospel aromas into a moving nostalgic tune. Stellar vocal harmonies, velvety-smooth, heighten the delectation.
#5or5000 offers a superb blend of soul, blues, and gospel pigments, ranging from all-out surging blues to polished soul silkiness. And CeCe’s voice, an instrument of stunning expression, is the icing on the cake.
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