Africa to America: The Journey of the Drum in Bloomington, MN

Nothing on
Africa to America
tops the shining moments --
"Optimistic"
and
"Testify"
-- on
Sounds of Blackness
' debut,
Evolution of Gospel
. However, all things considered,
is probably the better album. And if it's not the better album, it's surely the more consistent of the two. Where
Jimmy Jam
's and
Terry Lewis
' efforts were somewhat limited on
, with the exception of the album's highlights, the producers devoted themselves to this 1994 follow-up, producing not just a few great songs but rather numerous great songs:
"I Believe,"
"I'm Going All the Way,"
"Black Butterfly,"
"Everything Is Going to Be Alright,"
"The Harder They Are, the Bigger They Fall,"
in particular. And while these songs don't depart too far from the potent
new jack swing
-meets-
gospel
sound of
"Optimistic,"
that's a good thing --
Jam
Lewis
were on top of their game at the time and brought no shortage of their trademark dense percussive rhythms to
. So, even if the production sounds a little calculated and perhaps even outdated for its time, it made for some amazing songs. It wasn't until subsequent albums that it became evident just how integral
were to
' success. Along with
,
remains the group's pinnacle. With
sounded fresh and relevant; without the duo, they sounded like any other
group. ~ Jason Birchmeier