First, that’s not Bilal singing the cucumber cool male part on this smoldering Jackson 5 cover, though Micah Robinson’s tone and phrasing is vocally a dead ringer for Mr. Oliver. And yes, that is Christie Dashiell, one of the key leads from Howard University’s Afro Blue vocal jazz team that was made internationally famous on NBC’s The Sing-off season three.
Washington, DC’s Samuel Prather on keys may be the lesser known of the bunch, having primarily served as a straight-ahead jazz man and a behind the scenes producer on various independent projects. That’s surely all about to change with the brilliance that is this totally reimagined cover that just oozes all kinds of sexy sophistication. Take a gander for yourself of “I Wanna Be Where You Are” like you’ve never heard it before off of the jazz man’s forthcoming Groove Orchestra, Prather’s sophomore release, and then hop on over to his site at www.SamuelPrather.com to see about copping it come 2014.
By L. Michael Gipson
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