Rooms in My Fatha's House is the debut album by the American musician Vinx, released in 1991.[3][4] Vinx referred to his music as "prehistoric pop" or "cross-under", claiming that it was neither rock nor world nor jazz.[5]
| Rooms in My Fatha's House | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Genre | Jazz pop | |||
| Label | Pangaea/I.R.S.[1] | |||
| Producer | Sting, Vinx, John Eden, Greg Poree[2] | |||
| Vinx chronology | ||||
| ||||
Vinx supported the album by opening for Sting on his Soul Cages tour.[6]
Production
editThe album was produced in part by Sting, who also penned the liner notes.[7] Sting acted as more of a caretaker of the recording sessions, allowing Vinx creative control and ensuring that there wasn't any outside interference.[8]
Taj Mahal, Branford Marsalis, Sheryl Crow, and Herbie Hancock were among the album's guest musicians.[9][10] The actor Roscoe Lee Browne appears on "While the City Sleeps".[11] Vinx's regular band, made up of percussionists and a vocalist, was dubbed the Barkin' Feet.[12]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [14] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [15] |
| Houston Chronicle | [11] |
| MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide | [2] |
The Washington Post called the album "a collection of tunes that juxtapose earthy percussion with Vinx's rich, romantic, melodic baritone."[16] The Chicago Tribune thought "Vinx does catchy uncluttered little pop tunes with a twist of jazz or worldbeat rhythms."[14] The News-Sentinel wrote that "an array of traditional percussion instruments, with tones as rich and deep as any guitar or bass, provide the background to a vocal orchestra."[17]
The State-Times concluded that "the songs just don't have enough variety and lyrical insight to sustain repeated listenings."[18] The Star-Ledger determined that the songs were "a reference manual for world-beat percussion," noting that "the instrumentation on 'Porch Light' alone includes daiko drum, djun-djun, cuica, congas, berimbaus, rubber band sticks, cabasa, gong, heco-heco and pandeiro."[1] The Hamilton Spectator listed Rooms in My Fatha's House as the 8th best album of 1991.[19]
AllMusic called the album "a wonderfully refreshing piece of art filled with memorable melodies, world beat percussion, unusual instrumentation, and the occasional jazz flourishes."[13] The Encyclopedia of Popular Music considered it "an auspicious debut, merging samba, funk and hip hop with the artist's highly individual rhythmic instincts."[15]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tell My Feet" | |
| 2. | "I Should Have Told Her" | |
| 3. | "My TV" | |
| 4. | "While the City Sleeps" | |
| 5. | "I'll Give My All to You" | |
| 6. | "Captain's Song" | |
| 7. | "Somehow Did You Know" | |
| 8. | "Little Queen" | |
| 9. | "Temporary Love" | |
| 10. | "Porch Light" | |
| 11. | "Don't Got to Be That Way" | |
| 12. | "A Little Bit More" |
References
edit- ^ a b Lustig, Jay (April 11, 1991). "Vinx Fuses Global Rhythms with Pop Music Traditions". News. The Star-Ledger.
- ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 595.
- ^ "Vinx Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ Howell, Peter (26 July 1991). "Percussionist Vinx had life before Sting". Toronto Star. p. D12.
- ^ Nager, Larry (March 14, 1991). "Vinx's 'Prehistoric Pop' Explores Soul". The Cincinnati Post. p. 7B.
- ^ "Vinx Gets Attention with Self-Styled Sound". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2021-10-23. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ McIntyre, Ken (March 7, 1991). "A rainy day put Vinx in spotlight". The Washington Times. p. E3.
- ^ McTavish, Brian (March 19, 1991). "Discovery by Sting puts Vinx on tour". The Kansas City Star. p. E5.
- ^ McShane, Larry (11 Apr 1991). "Vinx hopes to triple-jump on charts". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 8.
- ^ White, Ken (28 Feb 2003). "Snaring the Spotlight". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 48J.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Rick (April 28, 1991). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 17.
- ^ McShane, Larry (May 17, 1991). "Ex-Athlete Is Out Making Tracks Again". Los Angeles Daily News. Associated Press. p. L41.
- ^ a b "Rooms in My Fatha's House". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2015-12-21. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ a b Heim, Chris (1 Aug 1991). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 444.
- ^ "Limelight". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ Reagan, Denise M. (August 17, 1991). "Eclectic Releases by One-Named Musicians Defy Labels". The News-Sentinel. p. 5SU.
- ^ Heitman, Danny (March 25, 1991). "Sting's crowd lukewarm to songs from new album". The State-Times. p. 2D.
- ^ Krewen, Nick (30 Dec 1991). "Critic's choice". The Hamilton Spectator. p. D1.