In the 1980s and 1990s, house music was as diverse as hip-hop. Depending on your preferences, you could find anything from amelodic, rave-friendly acid house (which lacked a song structure and often consisted of nothing more than a track and scattered samples) to ultra-melodic deep house artists like Chanelle, Adeva, and Jeanne Harris. Another act that epitomized deep house was
Ten City, whose second album,
State of Mind, came out in 1990 but owes a major artistic debt to the disco-soul of the mid- to late 1970s. Think of that era's most soul-drenched disco --
Loleatta Holloway,
Double Exposure,
Linda Clifford, etc. -- and you will know where
Ten City is coming from on this sophomore effort, which isn't as consistently strong as 1989's
Foundation but still has a lot going for it. The CD's best songs are flat-out excellent, including "Whatever Makes You Happy," "Nothing's Changed," "Destiny," and "It Ain't No Big Deal." But some of the other tunes are merely decent. Unlike
Foundation, this release is a bit uneven, although its plusses exceed its minuses by far.
State of Mind isn't
Ten City's best or most essential album, but it's worth acquiring for those who like their house music with a lot of soul. ~ Alex Henderson