''Earth and Heaven'' is the debut album by the American band
Repercussions, released in 1995. The album was recorded after the release of
Groove Collective
Groove Collective is an American band. In 2007 they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year for the release ''People People Music Music'' on the Savoy Jazz label.
Style
Groove Collective was formed in 199 ...
's debut album; the bands shared many members.
[ The album was preceded by " Let's Do It Again", with ]Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...
, which appeared on ''A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield
''A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield'' is a compilation album of various artists, celebrating the music of Curtis Mayfield.Allmusic/ref> While many tribute albums are recorded after an artist has passed, this album was completed five years before Mayf ...
''.
Production
The album was produced by Gary Katz, Genji Siraisi, Daniel Wyatt, and the band. Singer Nicole Willis
Daniele Nicole E. Willis, aka/fka; Nicole Willis and/or Daniele Willis (born 1963) is an American visual & sound artist, scriptwriter, singer-songwriter, producer, and director. Willis lives and works in Helsinki, Finland.
Biography Early ca ...
wrote all of the lyrics to the songs.[
Keyboardist ]Joe Sample
Joseph Leslie Sample (February 1, 1939 – September 12, 2014) was an American jazz keyboardist and composer. He was one of the founding members of The Jazz Crusaders in 1960, whose name was shortened to "The Crusaders" in 1971. He remained a p ...
, trumpetist Jerry Hay, and saxophonist Michael Blake performed on ''Earth and Heaven''.[
]
Critical reception
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving Greater Pittsburgh, metropolitan Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the fi ...
'' wrote: "A yuppie fantasy of different music and sterile lyrics, ''Earth and Heaven'' combines an electronic string section and an incredibly annoying wah-wah guitar to the tune of 10 excruciating tracks—none of which dares for the least bit of emotionalism." ''Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'' thought that, "by and large ''Earth and Heaven'' lacks the muscle, grit and energy of the Groove Collective album; it’s not much more than an ordinary retro-’70s soul record."The Record
The Record may refer to:
Music
* The Record (Fear album), ''The Record'' (Fear album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear
* The Record (Boygenius album), ''The Record'' (Boygenius album), a 2023 studio album by the indie rock supe ...
'' concluded that "Repercussions aren't all that distinctive—Soul II Soul, after all, was doing this kind of thing five years ago—but ''Earth and Heaven'' is never less than pleasant summer afternoon fare."
''The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' opined that "singer Nicole Willis is a talented diva-in-waiting, a strong, soulful singer with commendable restraint."The Charlotte Observer
''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. It is owned by Chatham Asset ...
'' determined that "the grooves are smooth as water running up on a sandy-white beach."[ '']The Buffalo News
''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York.
It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. On January 29, 2020, th ...
'' deemed the album "a strikingly bold mix of the big city club sound and the down to earth rhythm of blues that seem to underline the work of artists like Curtis Mayfield and Arrested Development."[
]AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
wrote that "this is cool, sexy soul that's pumped along by Genji Siraisi's clean drumming and Jonathan Maron's just-right bass work, led from the front by a nice vocal performance from Nicole Willis."
Track listing
References
{{authority control
Repercussions (band) albums
1995 albums
Warner Records albums