Solu Music - Affirmation (2004)

"a positive statement asserting that a goal the speaker or thinker wishes to achieve is already happening." Could there be any more apt name for the debut full length from Solu Music? Having set the house scene ablaze from their opening salvo, "Fade", which has gone on to become a classic in the club community, the NYC duo of Howie Caspe & Dano Nathanson have stayed true to their belief that house music is all about the soul, with a succession of quality deep house tracks that have kept their name on everyone's lips since they began back in 2001.

"Affirmation" takes you on a smooth journey through the joys and pains of life, expressed so beautifully through both the sublime production, poetic lyrics and the sultry vocal skills of Kai Martin, whose voice spans the entire range of emotions, from the love-filled anticipation of "Can't Help Myself" and "This Time" to the soulful melancholy of "It Ain't Love". Latin flavors are subtly tossed into the mix via "Marcello", and the deliciously intense "Me'soque". Shades of sexiness come in the form of the wickedly addicting "Just Don't Know" , the sultry vibe of "I Feel" and the ghetto groove anthem "Blvd" create the perfect backdrop for a new kinda soul music. A gorgeous rendition of Van Morrison's "Sweet Thing" * could very well be the soundtrack to a beautiful love story.

The album ends with the dramatic and chilling "Dreams" leaving the listener breathless until the very last beat, symbolizing that you are just getting started to what the future will hold for Solu Music and their forward thinking musical style. The album flows at a pace that both the club and at home listener will find instantly infectious.