Gladys Knight: Just a Little
Details
Genre: R&BPros:
Something new, urban on a timeless voiceCons:
Missing everything great about a memorable R&B or pop trackEmpress of soul returns to R&B with a humdrum urban-centric makeover
Empress of soul returns to R&B with a humdrum urban-centric makeover
Over fifty years of music, Gladys Knight has pretty much done it all. The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer, who first sparked success with the Pips, has done R&B, post-disco, pop, country, gospel, Barbra Streisand AC and Superwoman duets. So what has she not done and conquered? Well, there’s that stuff that now being passed around as the new R&B, a hodgepodge of hip-hop trance and minimalist instrumentation. And there’s “Just a Little,” which blends that aforementioned formula into a cascade of subtle horns and Mary Mary soul. Knight sounds confident and timeless when sweeping through lyrics of Disney-sprinkled inspiration: “Can you feel it in your heart, flowing through your veins/Let that music play a part and carry you away.” But the song hardly does that. Its lack of strong melodic enforcements and a sing-a-long chorus brings baggage of disorganization, something Ms. Gladys — when in her prime — wasn’t exactly used to. Sure, the musical sonics provided by producer Symbolyc “S1” One might be her biggest leap into urban territory since “Love Overboard,” but they should have seriously saved the overtime for her by tweaking this blunder at the drawing board. Sorry, “Just a Little” need lots more.
