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I hate to say this,but I find the album to be kinda boring....a snoozefest.Without Maurice White's voice and his production,I don't find too much to get excited about.The songs are decent,but nothing really stands out.

"Guiding Lights" was released as a single last yea and I like it alot.Great tune.

"Dance Floor" is an OK uptempo jam and "Night Of My Life" isn't bad,either.

To their credit,they stayed close to their original classic sound.But listening to this album just makes me wanna pull out one of their classic albums from their heyday.Maybe repeated listenings will change my mind,but so far I'm not impressed.

thanks, I will have a listen at home

or maybe... not.. and rather wait for the phyical copy.. if I have the patience for that

It's so tempting to listen to it now, but I don't want to spoil the excitement for myself by preview streaming. I'm going to delay gratification and pick up the CD next Tues.

SoulAlive said:

I hate to say this,but I find the album to be kinda boring....a snoozefest.Without Maurice White's voice and his production,I don't find too much to get excited about.The songs are decent,but nothing really stands out.

"Guiding Lights" was released as a single last yea and I like it alot.Great tune.

"Dance Floor" is an OK uptempo jam and "Night Of My Life" isn't bad,either.

To their credit,they stayed close to their original classic sound.But listening to this album just makes me wanna pull out one of their classic albums from their heyday.Maybe repeated listenings will change my mind,but so far I'm not impressed.

Wow man I couldn't disagree more... I think this is their best album in 30 years... and it isn't even close

intha916 said:

SoulAlive said:

I hate to say this,but I find the album to be kinda boring....a snoozefest.Without Maurice White's voice and his production,I don't find too much to get excited about.The songs are decent,but nothing really stands out.

"Guiding Lights" was released as a single last yea and I like it alot.Great tune.

"Dance Floor" is an OK uptempo jam and "Night Of My Life" isn't bad,either.

To their credit,they stayed close to their original classic sound.But listening to this album just makes me wanna pull out one of their classic albums from their heyday.Maybe repeated listenings will change my mind,but so far I'm not impressed.

Wow man I couldn't disagree more... I think this is their best album in 30 years... and it isn't even close

30 years?! I think they've done better albums than this one,in that time frame.Millenium was a great album.Even The Promise was better than this new one.

If you miss Maurice then I dont think it is possible to rate this album highly, however good the songs might be....

Maurice means everything to EWF.....creator, vision, Legend.....so I can 100% understand, and could not argue or convince someone to ignore his absence.......to each his own on that....

Have listened to bits and pieces of the stream, but since I cant hear it in perfect stereo (maybe I am doing something wrong) I am waiting until the CD is in my hands to give it a proper listening...and subsequent review....

I promised myself not to listen to any more released songs until the album came out. I tried and tried until I finally gave in. I like the album. I agree that they sayed true to their original sound with this album.

-

My favorites so far are "Sign On" (Classic EWF with a good message), "Guiding Lights", "Got to Be Love" (I especially like the intro and ending), "My Promise" (Classic EWF), and "The Rush" (I like the groove). Honorable mention: "Love Is Law." (R&B Lovers might love this track)

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"Dance Floor" is a nice cut but after hearing them play it live and watching their energy performing it, the studio version does not match up to me for some reason. Still a great song though.

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The song I dislike the most is "Night of My Life." I think this could have worked better on a Philip Bailey solo record. On his last solo project he did a song called "Won't Waste Time" that had the same uptempo feel as NOML.

SoulAlive said:

intha916 said:

Wow man I couldn't disagree more... I think this is their best album in 30 years... and it isn't even close

30 years?! I think they've done better albums than this one,in that time frame.Millenium was a great album.Even The Promise was better than this new one.

If we're takling "snoozefests" then The Promise would be at the top of my list. There are very few EWF album I'd actually say I hate but that is one of them. Millenium had the fantastic Sunday Morning and Blood Brothers but I found most of the rest lacking. I liked Illumination more than either on of those... so yeah I'm standing by my 30 year statement. And listening to the fellas talk about how they put this together it's easy to see why it's the most "real" EWF record in a long long time. Plus Larry Dunn back writing didn't hurt.

I actually liked The Promise more than Illumination despite the fact that I readily acknowledge that the songs tended a little too much towards low key, ballad types...what I appreciated was the fact that to me, they were a much more cohesive collection of songs, EWF style, without any outside interference......

whereas, I didnt like Will I am in Lovely People....didnt like Big Boi on TIHIF, didnt mind Raphael Saadiq and Maurice on Show Me The Way.....more uptempo, yes, played out well in concert, but just was not enough EWF for me....tried to be a tad too trendy...

Millenium suffered because of the reliance on machine drums....if Maurice had gone back to all Live music, I probably would agree that it was overall a better album than The Promise....

Of those songs that I have heard authentically, So far, My Promise harkens all the way back to stuff off Faces....probably my favorite EWF album....

Would I say it is a better song than Lets Groove?..not at all... but sound wise, musically speaking, it reminds me more of stuff off FACES...hence, I agree with your 30 year statement....bridging September and FACES, if you will.....

Sign On, classic EWF....no way is that song a snoozefest.....sorry.....yes, it misses Maurice dearly.....but it absolutely is one of the best songs they have done in the past 30 years......

Nothing they will do now could ever surpass their Legacy material..I think we can all agree....but so far this is a really good effort......more in line with the true essence of EWF than Illumination, more funky than The Promise....much better than In The Name of Love.....so u really have to go back to Millenium to find something that truly compares to classic-style EWF.....IMO...and so far, because of the Live Production and studio recording, it climbs over that one....just a bit....

So far I'm a little underwhelmed by it. I like the opening track best Sign On

followed by the album's 2 closing tracks. While I wouldn't say Illumination

was their best work and probably not better than Promise, but I will say

Show Me The Way, Love's Dance, and Pure Gold trumps anything on

this new album.

[Edited 9/4/13 14:00pm]

intha916 said:

SoulAlive said:

30 years?! I think they've done better albums than this one,in that time frame.Millenium was a great album.Even The Promise was better than this new one.

If we're takling "snoozefests" then The Promise would be at the top of my list. There are very few EWF album I'd actually say I hate but that is one of them. Millenium had the fantastic Sunday Morning and Blood Brothers but I found most of the rest lacking. I liked Illumination more than either on of those... so yeah I'm standing by my 30 year statement. And listening to the fellas talk about how they put this together it's easy to see why it's the most "real" EWF record in a long long time. Plus Larry Dunn back writing didn't hurt.

I respect your opinion and we all will have differing opinions on it but you feel this new

album has more of an EWF feel despite not having the traditional jazzy 30 second interludes than Promise. I thought Promise captured more of the traditional EWF vibe throughout than any other EWF album of recent years and you can throw this in the mix as well plus Maurice put the traditional EWF stamp on it. The funky interludes in between the songs made it nearly a flawless album and I only say that because it was more ballad throughout but All In The Way and Dirty made more than made up for it being light

on uptempo songs.

They are my favorite band of all time. I'm glad they are still recording (and seeing them in any form is always a thrill here.

But honestly? I'd enjoy (more) 60 seconds of Maurice on the Kalimba (these days) over this.

Allnall said:

If you miss Maurice then I dont think it is possible to rate this album highly, however good the songs might be....

Maurice means everything to EWF.....creator, vision, Legend.....so I can 100% understand, and could not argue or convince someone to ignore his absence.......to each his own on that....

Have listened to bits and pieces of the stream, but since I cant hear it in perfect stereo (maybe I am doing something wrong) I am waiting until the CD is in my hands to give it a proper listening...and subsequent review....

I have to admit....Maurice was always my favorite 'element'.Without him involved,it just doesn't feel like a real Earth Wind and Fire album to me.So,this may have something to do with why I'm not crazy about the new album.

phunkdaddy said:

So far I'm a little underwhelmed by it. I like the opening track best Sign On

followed by the album's 2 closing tracks. While I wouldn't say Illumination

was their best work and probably not better than Promise, but I will say

Show Me The Way, Love's Dance, and Pure Gold trumps anything on

this new album.

Illumination was a solid album.Despite the fact that they used outside producers and collaborators,it still feels like an EW&F album.And Maurice was involved,which I'm always happy to see.That album is much better than this new one.

intha916 said:

Millenium had the fantastic Sunday Morning and Blood Brothers but I found most of the rest lacking. I liked Illumination more than either on of those... so yeah I'm standing by my 30 year statement. And listening to the fellas talk about how they put this together it's easy to see why it's the most "real" EWF record in a long long time. Plus Larry Dunn back writing didn't hurt.

Wow,I pretty much liked Millenium all the way through...

"Wouldn't Change A Thing About You" should have been the second single

"Blood Brothers","Love Across The Wire","Honor The Magic","Even If You Wonder","Super Hero" are all SUPERB songs.

That album is an underrated masterpiece.

.

[Edited 9/5/13 7:57am]

MIllenium was a very good album.....but its main fault was the non-reliance on Live recording on record....I just hate the sound of those drum machines on the material....spoiled it immensely....

No matter what, this new album will be viewed thru by many fans as lacking because Maurice is basically not involved....I dont know how you can quantify to what extent, since it is a personal thing....

I remember when Millenium came out, and at the same time news of Maurice's Parkinsons came out too....and I said to myself, if Chi-Town Blues was the last time we heard Maurice on a new recording, I would have been happy....and we were able to share in his gifts thru Illumination..

Illumination was not bad....but Will I Am spoiled it.....Big Boi spoiled it.....U listen to the juvenile lyrics of Lovely People, and you know for sure that if Maurice was really driving the project, there was no way he would have sanctioned that nonsense....regardless of the fact it sounded like EWF with the horns, and the little bit of the Kalimba....

EWF will always be judged against their Legacy material, with Maurice....so they cant win.....yes, we will still have disagreements like we are now re: NTF...and that's fine, but unlike your Robin Thicke or Bruno Mars or Justin T., and this is regardless of whether you like either one of those artists....I am not passing judgement....EWF will never have the luxury of being judged against their current competition on the air today......they will always have that previous context of their catelog of music......all the music medai and reviewers will see to that.

And they will never be able to surpass those 70s, 80s heyday...for one, the current group is not the original 9...so strike 1....no Maurice strike 2 1/2.....so unless they have some unreleased gems that never saw the light of day lurking somewhere in Maurice's vaults...everything will obviously pale against their best stuff.....I am a fan, and I have listened to the stuff and said....they should have added Kalimba to Dance Floor.....it would have been nice to have Al strumming his guitar on some tunes....so already I am critiquing them against the music they have already released...

It is what it is.....but those are the mountains that your Legacy Artists...your Prince, Stevie, Janet...u name them.....will always have to climb.....

TARGET Exclusive! Order 'Now, Then & Forever' from Target and get the RED version featuring 2 bonus tracks "Hero As He Rose" & "Whirlwind"

Whirlwind was co-written by Larry and his wife, and features Larry on keys...it is a ballad...there is a small snippet of it somewhere on Youtube..the intro...I think the first 30 seconds or so of it.

Hero As He Rose dont know much about....name suggests possible religious context....

Allnall said:

MIllenium was a very good album.....but its main fault was the non-reliance on Live recording on record....I just hate the sound of those drum machines on the material....spoiled it immensely....

I sorta agree and that would be my only criticism of the record.Otherwise,it's a very strong album.It's an album of well-chosen songs and a few suprising collaborations."Love Across The Wire" is a Thom Bell composition,and "Super Hero" is a Prince tune.They picked some great tunes for this record and it was a huge improvement over the last album Heritage,which I don't think is as terrible as some people said it was (but that's another thread,lol).

We need to have a really good,in-depth thread about EW&F's catalog

Allnall said:

Illumination was not bad....but Will I Am spoiled it.....Big Boi spoiled it.....U listen to the juvenile lyrics of Lovely People, and you know for sure that if Maurice was really driving the project, there was no way he would have sanctioned that nonsense....regardless of the fact it sounded like EWF with the horns, and the little bit of the Kalimba....

When I first heard about this album and all the collaborations that would be featured on it,believe me,I was preparing myself for a disaster I thought "they're making their own version of Supernatural"...lol...I generally don't like albums like this.It seems like a desperate attempt to get back on the radio.But I was impressed with the album.I like "This Is How I Feel" and "The One"...surprisingly,two songs that don't really sound like EW&F "Show Me The Way" was a very good single.For me,this album was a pleasant surprise.

Allnall said:

And they will never be able to surpass those 70s, 80s heyday...for one, the current group is not the original 9...so strike 1....no Maurice strike 2 1/2.....so unless they have some unreleased gems that never saw the light of day lurking somewhere in Maurice's vaults...everything will obviously pale against their best stuff.....I am a fan, and I have listened to the stuff and said....they should have added Kalimba to Dance Floor.....it would have been nice to have Al strumming his guitar on some tunes....so already I am critiquing them against the music they have already released...

The one thing I keep hoping for is...one more album with the classic line-up of the 70s (Al McKay,Maurice,Larry Dunn,etc).Philip has said that,in 2000 when they were inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame,they actually talked about doing this,but it didn't work out.Still,I keep hoping

Show Me the Way was good....Maurice sounded great.....

dont get me wrong, I liked the album and the guys toured behind it....so they were promoting it also...I think my love for the group clouded my overall appreciation for the album at that time...because it has fallen oin my estimation thru the recent years....whereas The Promise and Millenium have not....maybe it was that chasing of the current trends, and as you put it, their attempt to do Supernatural, EWF style...

still, although I never base my purchases and opinions of what professional media think of a project, I am still curious of their impression of this new album...despite the loss of Maurice.....there are some hidden stretches of musically interesting passages within the songs....Got to Be Love for example...yes, it is not the most bouyant EWF song, and i can get why some will think it pedestrian or boring, me being one of them when I heard the 20 second snippet a few weeks ago, but forcing myself to listen thru the entire song, there were some really nice instrumental sections, especially in the last half of the song......the guitar work to me harkened back to Zanzibar, somewhat, and I love the way it ended with a simple piano.....I wanted it to continue...

SoulAlive said:

Allnall said:

Illumination was not bad....but Will I Am spoiled it.....Big Boi spoiled it.....U listen to the juvenile lyrics of Lovely People, and you know for sure that if Maurice was really driving the project, there was no way he would have sanctioned that nonsense....regardless of the fact it sounded like EWF with the horns, and the little bit of the Kalimba....

When I first heard about this album and all the collaborations that would be featured on it,believe me,I was preparing myself for a disaster I thought "they're making their own version of Supernatural"...lol...I generally don't like albums like this.It seems like a desperate attempt to get back on the radio.But I was impressed with the album.I like "This Is How I Feel" and "The One"...surprisingly,two songs that don't really sound like EW&F "Show Me The Way" was a very good single.For me,this album was a pleasant surprise.

Illumination originally started out as a solo project for Phillip but the more and more

he got into it he felt the need to turn it into a full blown EWF project. Remember they

just released The Promise in 2003 and dropped the single Show Me The Way in the fall

of 2004. I remember I kept waiting for them to announce the release date within a few months but they never did. I guess with all the collaborations it took them a while to release Illumination in the fall of 2005.

I'm just so frickin', bloody happy to hear someone using REAL instruments in R&B music instead of computerized drum beats! I'm buying this!!!

Earth, Wind & Fire 'Now, Then & Forever': Verdine White Talks New Album,

Posted: 08/19/2013 9:26 am EDT | Updated: 08/26/2013 11:36 am EDT Huffington Post

Eight years since the release of their 2005 Grammy-nominated album, “Illumination,” Earth, Wind & Fire is set to return with their latest studio offering,“Now, Then & Forever.”

Initially intended for a 2012 release to coincide with the presidential election, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are capitalizing off the recent success of Robin Thicke and Daft Punk’s nostalgic chart-topping hits by embracing their trademark sound for the 10-track opus.

In a recent interview with The Huffington Post, bassist Verdine White revealed details on recording the September 10 opus in addition to his thoughts on sustaining longevity in the music industry.

How long was the recording process for “Now, Then & Forever”?

It took two years to cut. Originally the process started in Philip Bailey’s home. And then he went back to listen to all of the Earth, Wind & Fire records. And then we called [keyboardist, musical director] Larry Dunn, one of the original members of the band, to help us with keys. And then we brought Neal Pogue in who did all the great mixing for Outkast. So it was really a great crew of people and a good process. Originally we were going to put it out last year, but we weren’t ready.

What’s the meaning behind the album’s title?

Well, we came up with it to kind of describe who we are and what Earth, Wind & Fire is. The fact that we are here now and we were here then, and then we will be here forever even if we’re not doing it or if we’re not here our music will always be here forever.

One of the many standout tracks on the album is, “Belo Horizonte,” which has a Brazilian jazz feel reminiscent to some of your earlier material. What usually inspire you guys to record a track?

That’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to get busy with something like that...Sometimes we jam out. And some of it we really direct and figure it out. And then sometimes we’re just inspired. And sometimes we have to wait on the inspiration. Sort of like hatching an egg.

Siedah Garrett is credited as one of the co-writers for the album’s first single, “My Promise.” How did it feel to record with her for the first time in your career?

It was great. She sent the song through Neal Pogue, who brought the song to us. And when I heard the chorus I said, “This is a big record.” And then also I think our timing is perfect, in this era of really good music, to come back on the scene.

To your point, there has been a resurgence with 70s dance music. What are your thoughts on the sound coming full circle in today’s Pop music?

Our timing is perfect with this other music out, such as Daft Punk, Robin Thicke, and Justin Timberlake. And in Europe it’s the same thing. The way they feel about it. There’s an era of good music coming out. And we’re falling right in line.

Do you feel like you guys have to fall in line since you’re partly responsible for the sound that artists are trying to recreate?

That’s true. But it’s been eight years since we had a record out. And the fact that we can still make good records after all these years and make them connect. But the trick for a veteran artist that’s been around is to tap in to that source.

What was your reaction to Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”? Did it make you feel more confident with the album’s direction?

Yeah, exactly! And then you got Nile Rodgers on guitar. He’s from our era. So we definitely said that we’re in the mix. Similar to how you be at a party and you say, “Oh, ok man. We’re wearing the right clothes. Yeah man, we’re in there too.” [Laughs]

What contributing factor has led to Earth, Wind & Fire’s success & longevity in music?

Well, we’re family. We respect each other. We’re brothers. We love each other. We will be forever joined at the hip because of this music. And it was something that we always felt strong about. And the vision of my brother, Maurice White, putting together the vision and coming up with the idea and letting us be a part of this thing called Earth, Wind & Fire. That’s what held us together.

Track List cd1:

1. Sign On
2. Love Is Law
3. My Promise
4. Guiding Lights
5. Got to Be Love
6. Belo Horizonte
7. Dance Floor
8. Splashes
9. Night of My Life
10. The Rush

Track List cd2: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire: Icon Selects

1. Can’t Let Go (Selected By Maurice White)
2. Runnin’ (Selected By Pharrell)
3. Shining Star (Selected By the Roots)
4. Turn Into Something Good (Selected By Lenny Kravitz)
5. Power (Selected By Clive Davis)
6. You and I (Selected By Raphael Saadiq)
7. Fantasy (Selected By Andre 3000)

For those of you who have the CD, what are your thoughts?

First of all, I would recommend the Target Version which has 12 tracks instead of 10 (2 of the tracks on the regular version are instrumentals).

I was kinda diggin the first 4 or 5 songs then things started to fall apart for me. I don't necessarily know if I'm going to remember any of the songs from this album a few days from now. I know that he's older now but Phillip's voice doesn't pack anywhere near the same punch as it used to.

The CD is certainly better than 95% of the new albums released this year but I don't hear any future classics on this one.

I'm gonna go ahead and pick it up.I have all the other albums,so I might as well get the new one too and to be honest,some of the songs have grown on me.Gonna go to Target tomorrow.

SoulAlive said:

I'm gonna go ahead and pick it up.I have all the other albums,so I might as well get the new one too and to be honest,some of the songs have grown on me.Gonna go to Target tomorrow.

Sign On is the real keeper from this CD. Vintage EWF sound, chorus, meaningful and timely lyrics, over a contemporary beat.....This song is very funky live..

Close on its heels is Dance Floor...yes, it could have been fleshed out more....throw in some additional percussion and Kalimba, but it has a great beat and has the horns and vocals that sound like EWF.

I give them alot of credit for coming up with music that has to resonate without Maurice....Of course no one will say it is better than their legacy material....which artist from that era could honestly say their current product is on par with their best....BUT, they stuck to their guns, and tried their best to do vintage EWF, using Live instruments, brought Larry Dunn back...you can hear his keys all over this CD...and for those hardcore EWF fans familiar with their back catelog, you can hear familiar passages, or keys or horn work that reminds you of stuff from back in the day.....

I wish them success...enough current artists bite off them, so hopefully this effort will at least get them honorable media coverage and quite possibly decent sales.....

Night of My Life is growing on me. In my opinion I don't necessarily think it's EW&F, but it's a fun dance song.