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Review: Ivana Santilli - Corduroy Boogie (Brown Records)
Writer: Ike Ikwuemesi 
Straight outta Toronto comes the funk ambition of Ivana Santilli, best known for her voice-loan on the dancefloor smash Superstar by Philly maestro King Britt. Said track also features on Santilli’s second studio album Corduroy Boogie, an effort made for reminiscers of RnB-synthesized grooves of the late '70s to mid '80s as well as today’s progressive beat chasers. In a nutshell, as far as Santilli is concerned, the '90s didn’t happen save for UK soulster Omar’s offerings, of which she is an admirer.Corduroy Boogie is not just touched by the aforesaid Britt and Omar but also a roll call of directional producers and musicians that any artist worth their shimmy would be proud to name check. Let’s go through them: James Poyser (Lauryn Hill); Stuart Matthewman (Sade, Maxwell); Dego (4 Hero); Kaidi Tatham (Bugz In The Attic); Solitaire (Kardinall Ofishall) and Dwele. A case of too many cooks? Surprisingly, Santilli’s servings suffer not from a lack of coherence. Santilli isn’t exactly from the Chaka Kahn finishing school but no matter as Britt and co iron out the creases. As a track, Superstar is just that and, together with Breathe Inn, Santilli’s kudos is pushed to another level. Both tracks are riffed in cool-skool funkiness and tailored to her nicely. The Omar-penned and backed Deserve highlights his mind-bogglingly under-appreciated status as it does Santilli’s favourite soul era. The instrumental C. Boogie Interlude checks out like a cut that didn’t make the Wildstyle soundtrack. What Matters brings Santilli into the now. Cred-maker James Poyser helms and delivers: hip hop beats on top of nu-soul melodies. With Torna A Case she throws away her mission statement and goes Latin, musically and lingually. She distinctly comes alive on this number, taking vocal turns with her well-honed father and sister. However, there are running limitations in Santilli’s sound. Dancing is out of step. It falls into a flat pop ditty. And 4 the Ladies needs more vocal oomph, despite the bilingual bellowing. Santilli, who is reputed to be a stronger stage than studio performer, doesn’t swing consistently enough in tandem with the range of production heavies at her disposal. As with Janet Jackson’s Control, the producers (in that instance Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis) are the real stars. Santilli’s accessorised vocal contribution won’t do her creativity any justice. Her atempt to hybridise sounds between two distinct eras lacks a certain authority. It's left to Britt, in his executive position, to make this concept as real as it can get, and he does a marvellous job. Vikter Duplaix, in his earlier works, managed it with cool irony; even with his mechanized productions, his textured singing brought it all deliciously into focus. Santilli’s personal efforts are suspiciously stewed in contrivance. However, with customized gems like Superstar and Breathe Inn under Santilli’s soul belt, she remains one to watch. RELATED LINKS: To send us music for potential inclusion, email us at promos@knowtheledge.net EMAIL UPDATES! Do you want to receive Know The Ledge update emails? Click here to sign up!
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::: RELATED LINKS
Official SiteBuy Ivana Santilli's Corduroy Boogie at Amazon
UK (CD) | US (CD)