(October 13, 2025) Evocative is an apt one-word description Lance Vantile Whitfield’s latest song, “Without You.” That thumping, popping bass line that serves as a funky foundation for those sleek horns, takes me back to those mid-tempo romantic and sensual songs that I heard on the radio back in the 1970s. I don’t know if that is what Whitfield and his life long friend and collaborator DeYon Dobson had in mind, but that’s where this song took me.
“Without You” has that lush instrumentation. You will hear the strings, percussion, soulful guitars, and the atmospheric Harmon muted trumpet solo that enlivens the bridge. And then there is Whitfield’s playing: He takes you on history lesson of funk bass on this song. He goes from the smooth walk to the plucking and thumping where the bass becomes a percussion instrument.
Vocally, guest Tim Owens sings with a deftly smooth and conversational tenor as he lets his woman know that her mere presence is life to him. I hear traces of the lushness and sophistication of Philly soul fused with the kind of cinematic funk that makes “Without You” a soundtrack song that need to be paired with the right movie. Check out Lance Vantile Whitfield’s “Without You” here.
By Howard Dukes
