Search - Mint Condition :: Definition of a Band

The Title Says It All.

WILLIE A YOUNG II | Houston, TX. | 08/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With the demise of true musicianship amongst black artists looming on the horizon, we absolutely NEEDED this. To me Mint Condition has always straddled the fence between artistry and clawing out a niche' on the commercial landscape. Listening to "Definition of...." one gets the feeling that these men recorded this material without giving a damn what the general public thinks, and THATS what distinguishes good music from great music! While there are a few nods to conventional/mainstream tastes, this is gonzo music making, without fear or boundaries. This is Mint Condition at their most excessive, overblown, artsy, meandering and pompous, and I enjoy every minute of it. The fast material is funky as hell ('Change Your Mind', 'Ain't Hooking Me Up Enough', 'I Want It Again', 'Funky Weekend', 'Raise Up' & 'Missing'), the ballads soar ('On and On', 'The Never That You'll Never Know', 'What Kind of Man Would I Be' & You Don't Have To Hurt No More), even the slighter selections are standouts ('Let Me Be The One', Gettin' It On' and 'Missing') but the best number found here is the stunning 'Sometimes' penned by bassist Ricky Kinchen. Building from hushed, tension-filled verses to thundering, heavy metallic choruses and climaxing with virtuostic solos from gutiarist Homer O'Dell and drummer Chris "Daddy" Dave and finally fading into a quiet coda inspired by Teena Marie's "Portuguese Love", this is the best rock song they have ever recorded, and rightfully points the finger at women who tease men into being unwitting victims to their feminine charms and demands the attention we deserve ("won't you spend the night, stop playing with me! ) The whole CD is worth the price for this one track, but the songs surrounding it only enhance it's power. Buy this immediately. Black music should return to this type of creativity before it's too late, soul music is dying but these gents might just have a shot at saving it."

*More EXTREME Talent!*

Clarissa Bolding | Austin, TX USA | 07/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The title says it all. Each member gives a hundred and ten percent on every song and it shows. My favorite tracks? All of them with heavy preferences for "Change Your Mind", "Getting it On", "I Want it Again" and "'Aint Hookin' Me Up Enough". My favorite ballads? "On & On", "The Never That You'll Never Know", & smashes that are still played heavily on radio today: "What Kind of Man Would I Be" & "You Don't Have to Hurt". "Let Me Be the One" holds a message we all can relate to: There's nothing wrong with being friends after romance has ended.The famous *interludes* continue on this project with the intro, "Definition of a Band" and a swing version of that opener. "Asher in Rio" brings a feeling of pure relaxation with its jazzy overtones and Jeffrey's smokin' saxophone."Missing" speaks on a serious and prevalent social issue. Child abduction. "Raise Up" follows suit by encouraging positive social changes. "Funky Weekend" gives us a Roger Troutman-isqe flow and "Sometimes" is a rock track that wrecks shop COMPLETELY! It has the baddest drum solo ever heard and will have you screaming, "daaaaaaayum!" "If It Wasn't for Your Love" is a heartfelt dedication that rounds out this session of intense jams.It's puzzling how a band so well schooled in the art of live instrumentation hasn't gotten the air play and recognition they so deserve over the years. Such is the phenomenom of Mint. Despite it all, they continue to write and perform their own songs. Lovers of REAL music will keep supporting them, for REAL talent always stands the test of time. Mint Condition is truly carrying the torch passed on by greats like Earth, Wind & Fire and The Isley Brothers. DOB is a must have for your Mint collection so "Raise Up" and buy it now!Peace. CLB."

Serious musicianship; serious rythm & blues

Kevin Currie-Knight | Newark, Delaware | 03/10/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"We have long been in an age where it is no longer an obligation to play an instrumenet or know anyone that does when it comes to R&B. Outside of Alicia Keys and The Roots, those days are sort of gone. That's why this record is so killer! Mint Condition is a band of multi-faceted group who are great songwriters and amongst the smokin'ist musicians you've heard! This CD is a gold-mine of original songs - some standards like "What Kind of Man Would I Be" and some scorchin' funk cuts like "Let Me Be The One" (my absolute favorite cut with an old school feel). Over this 19 song disc (a few tracks are jazzy interludes of about a minute each) you, the listener, will have gotten the feeling that you've approached R&B from every possible angle - the slow jam, the mid-tempo pop, the old school funk, and the more slick pop-R&B (there's even a song - "Sometimes" - that almost sounds a bit metal). Among the things I should say about this disk is that Stokely (the lead singer, drummer, and misc. instrumentalist) and Kerry Lewis (keyboard player and principle songwriter) are absolutely smoking musicians - absolutely smoking. And that is another things we get on the disc - improvisation. There are quite a few good solos (for quite a few instruments) to bring in a more jazzy feel. Needless to say, it is well done indeed. This album, quite simply, is a piece of R&B history!"