Ed Daniels – Collaborations: Songs From The Heart Volume 1 (Album Review)

Today’s review features the new album Collaborations – Songs From The Heart Volume 1 by music artist Ed Daniels. Collaborations is exactly that – collaborative work of many songwriters, vocalists, lyricists, and musicians working together to bring to life the music written by Ed Daniels.  

“Co-writers like Anais Preller, Suzanne Kiss, Heather Joseph, Carla Zipa, Sylvia Jones, Sheila Fabrizio, Vita Rose Taytro, Bonnie Lee Panda and Alex Bach bring the theme to life while adding layers of emotion and depth with either their voices and/or lyrics. The harmonies are further enriched by Kevin Monroe’s direction of the backup vocals and Devotion’s talents.”

“The recording sessions … at Horizon Music Studios in West Haven, CT, were overseen and produced by Vic Steffens and co-producer by Matt Oestreicher, who also handles the orchestrations. With music provided by The Collaborations Band, featuring notable award-winning musicians such as Bobby Torello, Scott Spray, Al Ferrante, Jon Peckman, Tim DeHuff, Bill Holloman and Dave Eggar on strings. Together, they bring each piece to life with skill and passion.”

As their bio reads, “In an era where the essence of music often gets lost amidst the cacophony of modern sounds, ‘Collaborations’ emerges as a beacon of hope for fans of profound lyrical narratives set against the timeless backdrop of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.” Sounds quite interesting.

So let’s have a listen …

The first track Let The Love In starts with a drum shuffle, then comes in a funky R&B progression and lovely vocal by Anais Preller that truly captures a classic 60s Motown vibe. Nice! I’m really digging the vocals and lyrics. Nice flute solo halfway through into the bridge and again at the end of the piece. Very well constructed song. I’m impressed.

The next song Time For You also features Anais Preller on the lead vocals. I love the classic horn section that kicks off this song. The vocal mix really stands out, everything sounds so good, great mixing, editing, and mastering. The vocals are very clear and understandable, which is often missing in a lot of what I hear and review. Very classic Motown type vibe. Loving the sax solo in the bridge. Anais does a great job singing this one.

The third song Running Out Of Tomorrows begins with an African vibe then with a nice background vocal chorus and then quickly transitions into another classic Motown vibe. This time a male and female vocalist duet featuring what I’m guessing is Ed on vocals with Anais. The male vocalist sounds fantastic, a really nice voice for this type of song. The song has a big distinctive chorus. I love the message of the lyrics in this song. Reach out, make a difference, come together, and equality, … we’re running out of tomorrow to change things, it’s up to you and I. I find the breaks and bridges in the song well constructed from a songwriter’s perspective. The song falls out to a vocal part sparsely populated with instrumentation and then kicks back into the power chorus full band. The mix is excellent.

Better get ready, Ready For Love the next song begins and I’m already loving the funk guitar riff that carries the song. And the horn section. New female vocalist Sheila Fabrizio singing this tune. She has such a classic Motown voice. It reminds me of Gladys Knight. The songwriting is tops.
Very tasty lead guitar solo before the last verse and chorus. If you’re reading this you better get ready … for Ed Daniels and Sheila Fabrizio bringing the love to you and your ears!

The next song I Wanna Know starts with an acoustic guitar strum. Very nice orchestration kicks in against the guitar. This time the female vocalist is Suzanne Kiss. Loving the string section parts in this song. Nice vocal, if not my favorite, but still really nice. Loving the background vocals. I love referring to God as “she”. This song has more of a religious vibe.

The next song Don’t You See features Sylvia Jones on the lead vocals. Again giving me a very 60s Motown vibe. The voice reminds me of Barbara Lewis (Baby I’m Yours). Loving the background female vocalist choir. Again the songwriting is excellent, just when you think the song needs a bridge, it delivers an interesting bridge. The vocals are clear against the mix. The song ends with “set yourself free”, the message of the song.

Doing Fine is another song sung by Suzanne Kiss. I like the syncopation in this song. Very nice piano part carries this tune, the playing is very lovely, and even throws in a few atonal chords that capture your ear but stay within the key of the song. I think the lyrics in this one could be better, it’s like they’re too straight-ahead and simple in their rhymes and word choice.

The next song Got A Feeling starts off with a horn section and gives off a Blues Brothers vibe, a barroom band vibe. This song features Heather Joseph on the lead vocals. The song itself reminds me of Tina Turner singing Proud Mary, but the arrangement of the song in this case is more interesting than that classic song. Loving the lead guitar solo in the bridge. This band is really tight. The vocalist reminds me of The Shirelles.

The ninth song is Think About It featuring Vita Rose Taytro on the lead vocals. Another classic Motown vibe song with a lovely string section. This album is packed with R&B gems, then comes in a very ear-catching lead guitar solo. I’m really liking the lyrics in this one. Very memorable hook.

Already There features Sheila Fabrizio again on the lead vocal. Starts off with a nice R&B electric guitar strum. I’m really digging Sheila’s voice, truly next level for this kind of music. The lyrics are fun and engaging in this song. Another nice funky lead guitar solo that perfectly fits the mood then back into the pre-chorus and chorus. The band is locked in the whole album. Some nice performances, mixing, and editing on these songs.

The final song Where We Belong starts with an acoustic guitar strum. This song features Carla Zipa on the lead vocals. Another really nice song. Loving the horn section, wish it was a bit louder. Another really tasty lead guitar solo in the bridge. The Carla’s vocals carry the tune. Nice way to close out this album of great songwriting, arranging, and performances. 

“‘Collaborations’ invites listeners to experience music that is not only crafted with skill but also imbued with meaning. It’s a journey back to when songs told stories, evoked emotions, and inspired change. For those who believe in the power of music to unite and uplift, ‘Collaborations’ is a project that resonates with purpose and passion.” It truly does. Give it a listen.

SCORE/Outstanding: The performances, editing, mixing and mastering on this album are top-shelf. If you love classic female vocalist R&B, this album is truly outstanding, and I don’t say that lightly. We get a lot of good and some not so good albums to review here at Music Review World, but this album is truly superior to most of the material that we receive. Virtually every song on this album could get radio play on an R&B format station. Even if you’re just casually into that classic Motown vibe, you should definitely buy this album, or at least listen to it. You’re guaranteed to dig it. Much love, Beth

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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