Award-winning musician and producer Doc City’s Welcome to Doc City: Deluxe Edition offers sweeping lyricism and eclectic musical journeys. Influences range from hip hop, R&B and jazz to gospel, soul and rock, creating an album which has love and loss as its central focus but also touches on social issues and our spiritual energy.
Doc City is also a medical doctor (his professional name being Clarence Taylor MD), and experiences of life in all its detail allow him to transfer his observations into music. His gospel influences come from his background as the son of a gospel minister. His music has been used in film soundtracks, and he co-wrote a song recorded by Capitol /Blue Note artist Pieces of a Dream.
Welcome to Doc City features a smart group with Doc on keyboards and vocals, Sean Jones on trumpet, Lafayette Carthon on piano, Steve Cox on Moog and piano, Steve Mackey on bass, Kenny Anderson on sax and Jamey Haddad on percussion.
“What Love Is” kicks things off with a soulful rendition of unconditional love. The vocals are warm, melodic and emotive. There is a soulful solo from Jones’ trumpet while the steadfast support and vocal harmonies elevates the musical content. “When You Are Near” is an intense, beautiful, emotionally charged love song with looping, eloquent melodies that interweave and flow across the beautiful ensemble backdrop.
“Did You Choose” reflects on social/political issues, challenging prejudice, bias and bullying. It reflects on where we are born, the color of our skin, how we are raised and whether we have choices. It talks of prejudice against races, religions and whether we are all vulnerable to become targets. Strong words over melodic background makes this a powerful number: “We will not be remembered by the word of our enemies, but by the silence of our friends. No one is an innocent bystander.”
Sade’s “Sweetest Taboo” is brilliantly re-worked, as Doc City and company deliver a blend of jazz, gospel, and rock influences to create a number which is respectful to the original but very different with some deliciously worked rap. “No Goodbyes” was written after the loss of a close friend and is emotionally charged. The lyrics are beautiful, and Doc manages to sum up the keen sense of loss and memories of shared times in this soulful number which reflects that there are really no goodbyes – because people remain remembered in our soul.
“You Ego Too” reflects on delusional ideas of self-importance. Hard hitting and challenging, this is a standout track on Welcome to Doc City: Deluxe Edition featuring powerful, funk-filled musical support for lyrics which tackle a narcissist and his love of himself. As the words say, “nobody loves you the way you do.” “Heart Just Won’t Give Up” is a thoughtful, introspective number and creates a different atmosphere with beautiful harmonies, delicate melodies and great vocals. The groove created by bass and percussion drives this track forward, with keyboards across the top and a wonderful ebb and flow of tempo and volume.
“I’ll Still be There for You” is a deeply moving, spiritual number of commitment and faith, with superb vocals over gentle, steadfast accompaniment, and a lyrical sax solo. This is powerful stuff. Irving Berlin’s “What’ll I Do” is a duet and a great reworking of the familiar song. The vocals soar, as do the solos from trumpet and piano. “I’ll Still Be There for You” is reprised as a short, powerful soliloquy before “Sweetest Taboo” is also reprised, this time as a dance number and it is full on with disco, funk and rap forming a very enjoyable number.
Welcome to Doc City closes with another reprise, this time from “No Goodbyes” – and this is, if anything, more emotionally charged than the earlier version. The result is a beautiful album with many different influences and makes a great listen. The music has many elements, influences and is genre-fluid. It is music for soul searching and contemplation, but also just an enjoyable listen.
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