Soul singer, pianist, and songwriter
Avery Sunshine made her self-titled debut back in 2010. The record was embraced by BBC's Radio 2 and a slew of European DJs both on radio and in clubs, prompting a spot on Later...With Jools Holland (an appearance that apparently blew away
Ringo Starr). Subsequently she toured, opening for everyone from
B.B. King to
Eric Benét; from
Musiq (Soulchild) to
Ledisi. Her single "Ugly Part of Me" made its way into BillBoard's Top 20 on the Urban chart. Her long-awaited follow-up -- again recorded and written with musical partner, guitarist Dana "Big Dane" Johnson -- does not disappoint; if anything, it further establishes her as a singular talent.
Sunshine uses the source inspirations of classic R&B from Memphis, Detroit, and Philly, and places them in decidedly modern context, setting her apart from retro-soul revivalists. Check the ballad (and first single) "Call My Name," with its sultry weave of guitars, rubbery bassline, and her piano fluidly underscoring her vocal in this stirring torch song. On opener "Won't You Try," she uses the example of Hi Records'
Willie Mitchell and
Al Green in a classic club fingerpopper. "One Foot Ahead" uses jazz syncopation and reggae inside a lithe funk. "Meditation No. 1 (Conversation with God)" recontextualizes 21st century gospel inside dreamy neo-soul. "I Do Love You (You Ain't Got to Lie)" weds early Motown and Southern gospel,
Etta James, and
Jill Scott. "See You When I Get There," with its clavinet, electric piano, horns, and loops, carries a groove so infectious, slippery, and funky, it could be the follow-up single. Closer "Safe in His Arms" showcases
Sunshine's prodigious piano talents. It is a striking gospel tune that addresses a soldier, exhorting her/him to have faith when returning to the battlefield. One can hear traces of both
Dorothy Love Coates and
Nina Simone in her delivery -- which is no mean feat.
The Sun Room is more diverse than her debut, and reveals the expansion of
Sunshine's musical vision on
The Sun Room, combined with a maturity and self-assuredness that further engrave her musical signature in the R&B lexicon. ~ Thom Jurek