nvincible
Artist: Chris Jasper 
Label: Gold City Records, Inc.
Time: 10 tracks / 54:32
 
You might think you’ve never heard Chris Jasper before. You’d be wrong (unless, that is, you’re too young to remember the hey-day of R&B radio). Jasper has recently had a song covered by The Housemartins, has worked with Chaka Khan and Liz Hogue, has had his work covered and/or sampled by the likes of Gwen Stefani, Ice T, and others, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and was a driving force in The Isley Brothers. What? You thought they were sisters? …no – that’s Eisley: different group. Being an “Isley” back in The Day (even an honorary one) was a world away from the current female-fronted  Texas indie band. In their prime, The Isley Brothers were responsible for a string of hit albums and singles like “Who’s That Lady,” “Fight the Power,” “Live it Up,” and other songs that helped define the progressive R&B of the '70s and '80s. 
 
Today, the multi-talented instrumentalist / singer-songwriter / producer has gone from ‘fighting the power’ to finding the Higher Power. Jasper now creates music for the sophisticated urban audience that recalls the feeling of the Isley era but points clearly to God and to scriptural instruction. The rhythm is still there, the smooth vocals slipping in and out of a soulful falsetto are still there, but instead of asking who that lady is, Jasper is exhorting and warning his listener about the dangers of pursuing that lady if she’s your neighbor’s wife. As a matter of fact, it just might be a little disconcerting for the average Isley Brothers fan to hear Jasper singing lyrics such as, “Day of Atonement …come on, ya’ll / Feast of Trumpets…” from “Do You Believe.” I suppose some of the lyrics might just be a bit too instructional for many listeners, although it’s commendable to attempt such strictly Biblical lyrics (each song does, in fact, correspond to scriptures printed on the liner notes).
 
All of the writing, singing and instruments on this project are the work of Chris Jasper alone, and it is quite an impressive performance, over-all. Jasper’s strength is in his ability to capture hooky, mid-tempo adult/soul/grooves and work them out as if there was still a strong R&B radio single chart, which seems to be where the songs on this CD would be most at home. Perhaps the vamps last a bit too long, but that, of course, was signature to the sound of the Isley Brothers – perhaps a full band would provide the funk and power to carry that aspect of the album off a little better. Fans of back-up singing will delight at the tracks where Jasper gets into his post-Jacksons style smooth harmonies, which are a highlight of several of the songs, for me. 
 
For fans of the Isley era, and the R&B of the ‘70s and ‘80s, I recommend this CD, although for younger listeners there might be a bit of a learning curve.
 
 
By Bert Saraco 
www.myspace.com/expressimage      
http://expressimagephoto.tripod.com
 
Add half a tock (at least) if you were a fan of The Isley Brothers or Isley/Jasper/Isley.