Vocalist Will Downing has generally straddled the line between Jazz and R&B in his work, but his latest project, Lust, Love & Lies (An Audio Novel), released in the U.S. on Sept. 14, 2010, is a straight ahead, full-fledged R&B release, with touches of Jazz here and there. The result is a very nice mix of sensual mid-tempo tracks that fit together to tell a story. And Lust, Love & Lies isn’t just a pretentious title: it’s an accurate description. The album’s 20 tracks tell a tale that unfolds like a movie – or better yet, like an urban soap opera – over the course of just under an hour.
Downing has released many albums throughout his career, always on the brink of stardom but never quite making it. In 1988, Downing finally made his solo debut, releasing the self-titled Will Downing. The album featured a new version of John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.” The track did not fair well on the R&B charts but it managed to reach #4 on the Dance charts. In the United Kingdom, “A Love Supreme” managed to reach #14 on the singles charts.
In 1989 he released Come Together As One and in ‘91, Dream Fulfilled. The latter featured the single “I Try” which reached #13 on the R&B charts, Downing’s best performance to date. In 1993 Downing’s fourth album release, Love’s the Place to Be was followed in 1995 by Moods and in 1997 by Invitation Only. Continuing his steady stream of releases, 1998 saw Pleasures of the Night, 2000 offered All the Man You Need and in 2002, Sensual Journey.
In late 2006, Downing was diagnosed with polymyositis — a disorder causing weakness in joints and muscles. As a result, Downing recorded the majority of his vocals for 2008’s After Tonight from a wheelchair. Buoyed by fan support, Downing continued to struggle against the disease and released the soulful Classique in 2009, followed by Lust, Love & Lies (An Audio Novel) on Concord.
0 Replies to “Will Downing Lust, Love & Lies”