Though ConFunkShun continues on as a popular performing group, some of the members have put out solo side projects, the latest of which is singer/multi-instrumentalist Felton Pilate’s Nothing But Love Spoken Here. In what may be a surprise to funk-loving fans of the group, the disc is an unabashed romantic album filled with falsetto-led ballads. The best of the bunch is the title cut, a smooth, melodic nighttime song that would rank among ConFunkShun’s best ballads (and which includes an excellent Ernie Isley-like guitar solo to give it some punch). Nearly as good is Pilate’s tribute to 70s Philly soul, the very nice “Keepin’ You To Your Promise,” a nice reworking of the Stylistics cut that Pilate wrote years ago. The rest of the disc is a melodic – if surprisingly tame – combination of slow a mid-tempo cuts, with the slightly dated feel of an album by an early 90s pop/soul group like 4 p.m. Nothing earth-shattering here, but a decent outing of catchy, late night music.
CR