Sequencing a full-length CD is an art unto itself and the best kept secret to making a solid album. As important as it is to stack strong tracks near the beginning of an album, it's often those last one or two songs that make the difference in getting a listener to come back again and again. R&B hit- maker, Vick Allen, and his newest CD "Truth Be Told…" is an 11-song Urban / R&B treasure, and is a perfect example of getting it right. Opening with the appropriately titled "I'm Hooked," an up tempo, Al Green-like groove punctuated by Memphis-style horn bursts, Allen sets the tone for the diverse platter of R&B that follows. "You Stay On My Mind" is an inspired piece of infectious Southern Soul, while "Forbidden Love Affair" finds Allen revealing his inner R. Kelly; and "As Long As I Got My Baby" serves up a dash of funk, it is followed by the completely contemporary soul of "I Know You Got a Man." Regardless of style, though, "Truth Be Told…" is seamless and cohesive, linked as it were by inventive and smart arrangements, superb musicianship, and the kind of background vocals that defines great Urban music and, of course, Allen's smooth high tenor, a voice that alternately echoes Green, as well as lesser known R&B luminaries like Eddie Kendricks, Tyrone Davis or Howard Tate. But it's the CD closer, "That's Heaven to Me", a solemn and uplifting Sam Cooke cover with the kind of message and melody Stevie Wonder later perfected on songs like "Heaven Help Us All" that seals the deal and will ensure repeated listens. Sequenced for maximum effect and filled with classic R&B grooves from beginning to end, Vick Allen's "Truth Be Told…" CD is a terrific album and a welcome addition to the Soul field.
-Rice B. and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team
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