The Revelations featuring Tre Williams | The Bleeding Edge
The Revelations featuring Tre’ Williams – The Bleeding Edge
Since Tre Williams has been recently acclaimed as one of the new voices in R&B in quite some time, his talents were mostly utilized by some of hip-hop music’s elite. With several years under his belt collaborating alongside Nas, Petey Pablo and others since 2001, the matter was how long Williams would be paying his dues by toiling behind the scenes before stepping into his own microphone moment. Well, there is the solo project from2007 from this former Showtime at the Apollo participant which still has not seen the light of day. Believe it or not, another promising R&B vocalist in recent years experienced a similar path on his way to a solo career.
The artist known as Rell (Gaddis), the only vocalist ever signed to rap label powerhouse Roc-A-Fella Records, was a prominently featured vocal and songwriter for the label’s lineup including co-founder Jay-Z and Kanye West. Yet Rell’s rare opportunities for his solo close-up were few with the exception of a few singles. Eventually his debut album for the label was permanently shelved. Sound too close to home with Tre’s climb to the top?
So while Rell became a music free agent including writing songs for Usher,that timely scenario called coincidence brought him and Tre into a partnership, thanks to veteran hip-hop/R&B producer Bob Perry (AZ). Thus the front men for The Revelations, a group of well-seasoned musicians from the urban music industry (from reggae musicians Sly & Robbie to Erykah Badu), temporarily put their up-coming solo projects on hold. After a six-track EP released earlier in 2009 entitled Deep Soul, Tre, Rell and The Revelations continue the passionate southern soul meets hip-hop edged R&B concept on The Bleeding Edge.
This independent disc from Decision Records is probably best described as old wine in newer skins. To explain a bit further, The Bleeding Edgeis a collision between hip/hop fueled R&B and classic soul (think eighties & nineties stars KC & Jo-Jo or Blackstreet backed by the house bands from Stax, Malaco and Atlantic Records from the sixties and seventies). Oh yeah, there are plenty of stories about love’s complexities and the assorted drama with several crib and in the club references made from time to time.
The solid musicianship of The Revelations and the passionate rapport between Tre & Rell is where the true magic happens on The Bleeding Edge. The disc begins with a bang on “Stay Free,” mixing the heartbeat of Motown and ‘a put your hands in the air’ chant. Continuing in the upbeat mode, the gospel-tinged “Heavy Metal Blues,” a witty piece of songwriting, finds Tre flexing his inner blues side: “I tried to warn him, told him to chill, begged him to stop it, and now he is filled with heavy metal.” “He’s A Hustler,” is a harder edged funky blues twist to the Curtis Mayfield’s action movie soundtracks.
Besides the original material, Tre & Rell drop appealing performances with the cover pieces. The tormented lyrics behind Latimore’s soul/blues hit from 1974 “Let’s Straighten It Out” (also recorded by Millie Jackson) transcends wellinto the hip-hop/R&B frame of mind. Guitarist Wes Mingus guitar solo provides a pleasing setup. Co-lead vocalist Rell also gets his chance to shine on “It’s Too Late,” a Carole King classic that was also recorded by several soul brothers including Billy Paul and The Isley Brothers.
Two other tracks are worthy of note. “How Do I Tell Him” proves Tre knows how to push the buttons on garnering sympathy when it comes to revealing an adulterous relationship to his closest friend. Lastly, “The Truth Sets You Free” is a reverse sentiment about how honesty may not be the best policy, especially when it comes to romantic commitments.
There are rare moments where the arrangements and vocal presentations are a bit ordinary. Yet The Bleeding Edge should put listeners on the edge of their seats with Tre & Rell’s bluntly honest stories of everyday relationships along with the accompanying gamut of emotions. As a side note, The Revelations pulled off every single track without the use of guest rappers, samples and turntable tricks. Supposedly Tre & Rell with their strong hip-hop background could have been tempted to go that route. Nonetheless, I’m ecstatic that they backed off. All the more reason to check out The Bleeding Edge, which might be the only opportunity to hear Tre & Rell before they decide to plunge into their long- awaited solo debuts.
Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene