Last year we ran a Three Stars feature on Silver Spring-based Zo!, aka Lorenzo Ferguson, and by all accounts, he hasn’t had a slow moment since then. Zo! played a role in The Foreign Exchange’s acclaimed Leave It All Behind album and has toured with the group extensively. Not to mention, he’s been working on his own LP, SunStorm, which will be released early next year. In the meantime, Zo!’s laced us with a pre-Thanksgiving morsel in …just visiting too, a free EP that’s out this month.
…just visting too follows the mold set by its vinyl-only 2006 predecessor, …just visiting: take classic tunes and polish them up a little. Included on the seven-track EP are covers of songs made famous by the likes of Bobby Caldwell, Quincy Jones and the Jones Girls. Leading off is D.C.’s own Yahzarah lending her vocal prowess to “Perfect Angel.” Considering Minnie Ripperton probably had the most distinct and beautiful voice of her generation, Yahzarah does her darnedest to come close and does an admirable job. Zo! stays true to the Stevie Wonder composition, replicating almost every keyboard stroke and bass strum in this grown-up lullaby.
When a 19-year-old no-name calling himself Prince released his 1978 debut, For You, “Crazy You” wasn’t even released as a single, but the simple ballad has found new life in later years. Zo! departs from the original recording by adding some soft piano/keyboard improv on a track that is otherwise dominated by acoustic guitar. Oh, and instead of Prince, Howard alumna Sy Smith fills the Purple One’s high heels. Zo!’s take doesn’t deviate from the airy-ness of the ’78 version, but what made the original “Crazy You” unique was that it by contemporary standards, was stripped down to the bare minimum in terms of instrumentation. This update isn’t as naked as its forerunner, it still manages to create the same feeling.
The standout recording is Darien Brockington’s interpretation of the Isley Brothers’ “The Highways Of My Life (Pts. 1 & 2).” D-Brock has been a rising star vocalist on Foreign Exchange’s two albums and, once again, reminds us that he’s one of the most underrated singers around. The interaction between Brockington and Zo!’s playing are perfectly complimentary. D-Brock effortlessly rolls down the musical road that’s been constructed for him, stepping on the gas to get over the inclines and gliding down the dips. All the elements make the track an audio goody that can be enjoyed multiple times.
Even with so many fantastic voices gracing this album, Zo! is still the star. With the exception of “Highways,” he plays every instrument, and managed to strike the right chord on …just visiting too between paying homage to great musical arrangements of the past while creating enough space to create something that’s his own. And in the process, he’s likely to have a few people going back to give the original versions another, or maybe a first, listening.
Zo! will be the special guest at “Refuge” with DJ Stylus at Tabaq tonight. Free, 9 p.m.
