"Candy Rain" came in 1995 as the debut album from the R&B quartet, Soul for Real. Named after their biggest hit to date, you get them perfoming some of the best R&B of the time, but not really pickign up that much of a following apart from when their hit "Candy Rain" is brought back as a nineties R&B classic. The group are known for merging the softness of early New Edition, with the soulful nature of groups such as Jodeci.
1. "Candy Rain"
This is simply a killer tune, and one which everyone should take a listen to as it is absoloutely flawless in displaying how strong they are at performing 'Hip Hop-Soul' (which is a kind of developmental stage of Neo-Soul). You get them sining a timeless love song to bring the Jackson 5-styled material to a more urban audience (as Boyz II Men and New Edition attempted before them).
**Five Stars**
2. "Every Little Thing I Do"
This was the second single to come off te album, and although it didnt reeach nearly the same success as the debut single, it had them really takign theing
up a level as they come with an up-tempo groove to get you moving as they get into things. It is one of the best tunes on the album, and the only time where they really up the speed of things.
**Five Stars**
3. "All In My Mind"
Greeted by the voice box this one has them showing that they are exactly what they claim to be as a 'Hip Hop Soul' groupasyou get them on top of funky bass drop, and it leads them into a smooth track, which has them just getting into some feel-good material with a rough edge. The way the lead changes is unique to this track too, as it doesn't occur at any other point in the release.
**Five Stars**
4. "If You Want It"
This is amongst the best off the album, and it has them comign together for some excellent harmonies in bothe chorus, and certain sections of the verses, it maanges to reiforce their untiy (which comes naturally as brothers), and they make you really want things to work for them as they put their all into the track, and speak on how submissive they have become towards their girls, and so will do anything for them.
**Five Stars**
5. "I Wanna Be Your Friend"
The funky beats come into this one to get things flowing, and it gets them onto some post-New Jack Swing-styled production to bring in both the male and female listeners. The song is well-written, and has them making the best out of the material to come up with a very full R&B joint to get you moving to a slow pace, but holding back do to the highly emotive lyrics of them trying to amend the relationship they have lost.
The group cover a classic song for this one, and they nail it as they have Jason, the youngest of the four Dalyrimple brothers, taking the lead, and the remaining three take on the bass and give him a strong backing to work from as they go a cappella. Everyone knows this one, and they do a good job at it.
**Five Stars**
7. "Spend The Night"
On this one, Jason (the highest pitched singer of the quartet) is foroced to take a step back on this one as they get into some big boy business and sing a sensual song for the girls. Unfortuantely, with them forced to put te best singer in the background, it leaves a less able performer in the lead position, and so it isn't too strong, but the track certainly takes you into the relavent mood.
**Three Stars**
8. "I Don't Know"
The strings heard in "Candy Rain" to open it comes through on this one, and it gets Tone (of the Trackmasters) producing things again, and choosing to put a little voice box stylings into it all as it gives them a little Teddy Riley-esque edge (which was popular at the time). It lasts over eight minutes, and they manage to engage you through the entire thing by swicthing things up regularly with verses, instrumentals, and segments with the voice box.
**Four Stars**
9. "If Only You Knew"
This one has them going right back to the earliest years of R&B, or when this became the umbrella term for Soul, Funk etc., as it gets them using the type of Motown production, that it used with its less Pop, and more Soul performers. Personally, I didn't think that I could really feel the Soul as the then-fifteen-year-old, Jason took lead, but many may see it differently.
**Three Stars**
10. "Thinking Of You"
You have them taking you right into the sounds of the time with the sounds of the late eighties slow jams coming through, with the new, more urban, flow being encorporated into it all too. They use they high vocal standard to their advantage, and put it to a soft two-stepping beat for great results. If you liked what R&B was saying around the mid-nineties, then you will enjoy this one too.
**Four Stars**
11. "Piano Interlude"
I would have to say that this is a good R&B album, and one which really seems to match the time in which it was performed as the youngesters (then all twenty or under) get into some soft R&B with everyting coming together to make a very complete album with them covering all the typical areas for an R&B album.They don't really take any risks, and it works as they stick to what attracted many to their work with "Candy Rain" (song).
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