2005 - Earth Wind and Fire -Illumination [mp3@320][mrtude42][h33t]

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VA - Illumination
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Review by Rob Theakston from allmusic.com

Following 2003's The Promise, Earth, Wind & Fire went back to the studio and
refined and updated their approach to music with a more contemporary neo-
soul sound on Illumination, and the gamble paid off plentifully, as it's one of
the group's freshest and most fully realized album since the glory years of the
'70s, when the group was releasing one timeless single after another. What
makes Illumination work so well is their approach to staying contemporary
without looking ridiculous in the process. The production from start to finish is
polished and ready for prime time urban radio airplay, while still maintaining a
sensibility of the old-school sound that made it work in the first place. Guest
appearances are the norm, rather than the exception, with nonstop cameos
from a wide range of artists, from OutKast and the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am
all the way to soft rock horn tooter Kenny G. But the crown jewel of the album
is unquestionably the eight-minute jam "Show Me the Way," with Raphael
Saadiq handling lead vocals in a way that should make Maurice White blush
with pride, confident in the knowledge his influence is very much alive and well
in the next generation of soul musicians. The album's final pieces are puzzling,
as Brian McKnight's eloquent appearance on the ballad "To You" is roughly
knocked out of place as the fitting closer by a smooth jazz cover of OutKast's
"The Way You Move," an ill-fitting move for an otherwise outstanding record.
Sequencing error aside, Illumination is the musical defibrillator other aging soul
musicians should grab a hold of and take note.

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Tracklisting
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1. Earth, Wind & Fire - A Talking Voice (interlude) [00:04]
2. Earth, Wind & Fire feat. Floetry - Elevated [04:22]
3. Earth, Wind & Fire - Liberation [05:09]
4. Earth, Wind & Fire - Love's Dance [04:13]
5. Earth, Wind & Fire feat. will.i.am - Lovely People [04:13]
6. Earth, Wind & Fire - Pass You By [04:43]
7. Earth, Wind & Fire - Pure Gold [04:25]
8. Earth, Wind & Fire feat. Raphael Saadiq - Show Me the Way[07:32]
9. Earth, Wind & Fire - The One [04:55]
10. Earth, Wind & Fire feat. Kenny G - The Way You Move [04:21]
11. Earth, Wind & Fire feat. Big Boi, Kelly Rowland & Sleepy Brown - This Is How I Feel[04:06]
12. Earth, Wind & Fire feat. Brian McKnight - To You [04:21]
13. Earth, Wind & Fire - Work It Out [04:13]

Playing Time.........: 56:44
Total Size...........: 144.71 MB

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Artist...............: Various Artists
Album................: Illumination
Genre................: R&B;Hip Hop
Source...............: CD
Year.................: 2005
Ripper...............: EAC (Secure mode) / LAME 3.92 & Asus CD-S520
Codec................: LAME 3.82
Version..............: MPEG 1 Layer III
Quality..............: Insane, (avg. bitrate: 320kbps)
Channels.............: Stereo / 44100 hz
Tags.................: ID3 v1.1, ID3 v2.3
Information..........: http://www.allmusic.com/album/illumination-mw0000572495
Ripped by............: Mrtude42 on 7/14/2013
Posted by............: Mrtude42 on 7/17/2013
Included.............: NFO, SFV, PLS, M3U, CUE
Covers...............: Front

NFO generated on.....: 7/17/2013 6:28:16 PM

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