Various ArtistsInterpretations: Celebrating The Music Of Earth Wind And FireReview

If their publicity is to be believed, Maurice White’s Earth, Wind and Fire are at the apex of global cosmic togetherness, but for the dissenters, their descent into pompous pseudo-spirituality began a long time ago. The unimaginatively-named tribute album, Interpretations, provides more evidence for the prosecution.

It’s not that there isn’t an abundance of talent here, from the transcendent singing of Musiq Soulchild on “Reasons” to the neo-soul grooves of Dwele’s “That’s the Way of the World” and Chaka Khan’s funk injection on “Shining Star”, it’s just that the air of dutiful homage all but stifles any musical fun. EWF were always more notable for their catchy pop tunes than their preposterous philosophizing, but if the big hits are present and correct, then the versions here, by Kirk Franklin (“September”) and Mint Condition (“After the Love Has Gone”) are too respectful by half. Meshell Ndegeocello’s version of “Fantasy” at least opens excitingly, but quickly descends into tepid R&B when it cries out for more bombast. The best tribute albums radically reinterpret the originals or highlight little-known gems; this does neither.

It would be unfair to lay all the ills of contemporary R&B at the doors of EWF (although it’s certainly tempting), but all the symptoms are here, from pretentious spelling to artery-clogging arrangements. Most irritating, though is the dedication of Kirk Franklin’s version of “September” to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and even if this goes down well in the irony-free USA, it’s hard not to think that pointing up the government’s failures here might have been more pertinent than a few Ecclesiastes-derived lyrics about the turning of the seasons. If that’s an idea beyond the scope of this project, that that’s also precisely the problem with EWF’s sententious approach.

This collection spearheads the relaunch of Stax, but this is an awful long way from “Walking the Dog”; if you really crave a hit of Earth, Wind and Fire, avoid this tribute, and go for the original hits.