Search - Ephraim Lewis :: Skin

Belinda S. from NEW YORK, NY
Reviewed on 12/23/2012...

I remember reading a review of this cd back in the early 90s and they were calling Ephraim Lewis the male Sade. On that recommendation alone, I purchased the cd. It has stayed with me since. A remarkable talent, haunting, a stunningly simple voice, aching with emotion. This is not a pop album, this is not something thrown out to the masses, with a giddy shriekness and shrill trying to pass itself off as something substantive. To listen to Skin is to know what real talent is and true artistry.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Gone, But Not Forgotten.

Jason Stein | San Diego, CA United States | 03/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ephraim Lewis died at the age of 26, leaving us with his sole album "Skin". Details of his death are arguable at best, but it was ruled a suicide. We may never know exactly why he died, but "Skin" managed to move rhythm and blues to a new level. Often compared with Seal, Lewis had his own sound--just listen to the title track, "It Can't Be Forever", "Drowning In Your Eyes" and "Mortal Seed" and you will hear such great potential.



This was just a sad case of an untimely departure. In a way, I'm glad Seal is still around just to carry the torch for this neo-r&b approach to music which eventually led to the likes of Macy Gray and India.Arie."

What If....

WILLIE A YOUNG II | Houston, TX. | 10/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...He had lived long enough to fully realize his potential? While "Skin" is a positively flawless collection, one can't help but wonder what might have been. Released almost a decade ago but still sounding and feeling like it came out yesterday, Ephraim Lewis' sole LP is just overflowing with gorgeous singing (his voice was technically impeccable) that avoids the useless histrionics so many young black vocalists rely on, beautiful melodies, simple but finely crafted arrangements and a wealth of live instruments. The title track is a subtle commentary on race, celebrity status and personal insecurity ('is my skin just a veil I'm wearing, protect me from the world?') that falls into no particular genre' comfortably, it's just plain good music. "It Can't Be Forever" is a hypnotic, almost spoken-word, ambient track set to an old James Brown sample that speaks of perserverance and strength, but doesn't come across as preachy ('hold your head up higher and have no fear of being wrong')and wafts into the album's only hit, the smooth jazz staple "Drowning In Your Eyes", one of the prettiest love songs ever recorded. Featuring the sweet trumpet of Chris Bachelor, "Drowning..." is a classic. My personal fave, "Mortal Seed" has one of the baddest basslines on the album (the other is on "Sad Song" which is just that) and even has a wicked bi-phase guitar solo that swoops over the song and drives it to a crescendo that doesn't let up until the track ends. The remainder of "Skin" is just as remarkable, "Summer Lightning", "Captured" (another stunning slow song with Lewis' aching tenor taking on traces of Marvin Gaye), the inspirational "Rule For Life" and the closer "Hold On" round out the LP on notes of hope and looking to the future that will uplift any listener. "Skin" is easily a classic, but seems to have gotten lost in the deluge of rap and grunge releases of the time. It's time to rediscover the genius of a man who's career was far too brief. R.I.P. Mr. Lewis."