In the mid to late 90’s, there was a succession of releases that paved the way for what is now considered progressive (neo) soul music. Raphael Saadiq and Tony Toni Tone blazed the path, followed by D’Angelo, Groove Theory, Maxwell, Erykah Badu, and a few others. This period was arguably the most creative time in R&B/Soul music since the early 70’s. When Davina hit the scene with her debut album Best of Both Worlds in ’98, it was almost doomed to fail. Not because it wasn’t as good if not better than albums from her contemporaries, but it was generally considered way too “underground” compared to most of the r&b releases at that time for most MD’s and PD’s at radio. Most hip-hop dj’s loved the record and were greatly responsible for getting the single So Good f. Raekwon of Wu-Tang (originally released on the Hoodlum soundtrack) the good amount of spins it received. Best of Both Worlds was produced mostly by Davina, a feat in its’ own right since there were very few female producers in the music industry. Her record label, Loud Records, failed miserably to convince radio that she was an artist on par with others in heavy rotation. The record didn’t sound like anything else at the time, featuring a combination of dark, melancholy grooves over hardcore hip-hop beats. Not to say that it was groundbreaking, but it was definitely far ahead of what radio was playing. The album soon faded into obscurity, along with Davina – the artist. Now regarded as one of the most slept on cd’s of the 90’s, Best Of Both Worlds is still as good as it ever was and has created new fans worldwide in the 10 years since its release.
Even though she dropped off the scene as a recording artist, Davina has been firmly entrenched in the music industry. She has written and produced for some pretty well known artists in the last few years including Mobb Deep, Tyrese, Adriana Evans, Marques Houston, and the late Big Pun. Now she’s back, deciding to give her fans what they’ve begged for - new music. Return To Soul V.1 shows Davina has not missed a step. Her distinctive production style still sounds as fresh and just as dope as it did in in ’98. Great tracks like My Blues Away, Red Sky, and Ready are sure to guarantee some serious rotation time in the CD changer. Rumor has it, there will only be 10,000 copies of this CD to be pressed and distributed, so when it comes to getting your hands on it, hope for the best. CD Baby has already sold out and at this point, online retailer Amazon has not received any at all. So, good luck to you if you hope to get an original copy of this one. The fact that there will be so few of this CD pressed will almost guarantee that Return To Soul V. 1 will be considered a classic. If you’re not lucky enough to get your hands on it now, don’t worry. You’ll soon find them on e-Bay going for $50 bucks a piece. And to true Davina fans and soul fans as well, it’ll be worth every penny.
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