Before Stephanie McKay started her solo career, she sang with The Brooklyn Funk Essentials. The poignant lack of funk in this band must have made her decide to start her own business, because Tell It Like It Is is completely stiff from the funk after seventies example. Her debut did not catch on very well, but it did ensure that she could provide the backing vocals for Kelis and Amp Fiddler. With
… this resit she takes revenge in an appropriate manner. Inspired by James Brown, Lyn Collins and Otis Redding, but also by hip-hop from the Bronx where she grew up, McKay knows exactly how to balance these styles. The result is a portion of raw neo-soul that has not been seen before in the circles of this genre. Just like her examples, she also does not shy away from bombarding her audience with spicy social criticisms including teenage pregnancy, poverty and addiction. One of the highlights is Where Did Our Love Go ?, a duet with neo-soul star Anthony Hamilton, where McKay shows that there is a great future for her. (AD)more