R&B crooner Elliott Yamin’s primary claim to fame was finishing third on the fifth season of American Idol. Since then he has released the hit single Wait For You and two albums. Now Elliott is back with his third album Gather Round which is currently available in Japan and will be released in America later in the year. Will Elliott be able to recapture the success of Wait For You?
The first single off of Gather Round is Three Words. The song has is a soulful mid-tempo track that showcases Elliott’s strong and unique vocal ability. The chorus builds a little unexpectedly but the track is still solid.
Stay Away has a very distinctive feel to it. The vocal delivery from Elliott is once again strong and the song has several elements from country music.
Backbone is a more modern sounding song. The track has definite single potential and might be able to catapult Elliott back to mainstream audiences.
Deserted has a distinctive rock edge to it. It has all the elements to be a successful single. The track features a very big sound and another strong vocal.
Poison might be the standout track of the album. The song has a very retro Mark Ronson feel to it. It is just a very interesting song and the vocal delivery is varied compared to the rest of the album.
The title track Gather Round has a Motown feel to it. The vocal processing on it thin Elliott’s vocals too much though. Musically the track is very well put together.
I’m Thinkin’ ‘Bout You finds Elliott finding his way into Robin Thicke’s musical lane. The song is the perfect example of blue eyed soul and would do well at urban adult-contemporary radio.
I’ll Be That Bridge finds Elliott channeling Stevie Wonder circa Living For The City. The track is a slice of retro heaven.
Virginia is a very bluesy ballad similar to what you would expect from a current day Donny Hathaway.
Downtown is yet another very soulful track. The song features a very different vocal delivery from Elliott and solid production.
Overall Gather Round proves that Elliott Yamin has grown and matured as an artist. The album is very cohesive and features very solid music. The feel of the album especially in the last half is decidedly retro. This kind of style definitely works well for Elliott. Overall Gather Round gets 8 out of 10. If you are a fan of Elliott Yamin make sure you pick up Gather Round which can be imported from Japan now and will be released in America later this year.
