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Donnie sings "Cloud Nine." Donnie is one of the best singers in the music world today. His rendition of Cloud Nine will stir your soul and stay in your head for days. Enjoy! colored section ... Amazon.com
Atlanta singer-songwriter Donnie's Colored Section debut is uneasy listening of the highest order, as the album's title--referencing an ugly manifestation of racial prejudice--suggests. Donnie has a message; actually, he has a grocery list's worth. And he scatters them throughout his Southern-fried soul songs in blunt, riveting language. In a voice plainly reminiscent of Stevie Wonder, Donnie challenges notions of inequality, and while his words are sobering, he never loses sight of the groove. The horn-infused, swaggering "Big Black Buck" is pure New Orleans funeral march, while "Beautiful Me"--a razor-sharp pronouncement of individuality--builds on an almost gospel foundation, albeit one with a percussive spine. "Our New National Anthem" has a finger-snapping Philly-soul vibe, and while a reference to the impact of 9/11 seems, at this point, a bit like declaring the sky blue, it's a rare misstep in an otherwise fluid and funky debut. --Kim Hughes