TERRENCE HOWARD
Shine Through It
Columbia Records

Fans of the actor probably won’t be surprised at the depth and breadth of the music on SHINE THROUGH IT. Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated for his starring roles in Hustle and Flow, Ray, Crash and Lackawanna Blues, the charismatic Mr. Howard is on a press junket for his latest film Iron Man. Soon, however, he’ll turn his full attention to this debut album release as the word begins to swell that Terrence Howard delivers in a big way! Diverse is an understatement… the eleven self-penned tunes range from acoustic soul to jazz to orchestrated rock featuring horns and strings. Coming to mind for me are artists like Jeffrey Gaines, Lenny Kravitz, Richie Havens and, I’m going to throw in Billy Preston and Jimi Hendrix as well. I’m talking deep, right from track one Howard releases big, bold vocals tempered by breathy, distinctive releases. Backed by the Band of Kings (A-Listers including Miles Mosely, Kamasi Washington, Serafin Aguilar and Tom Lea), Terrence packs a mean guitar, as well as relevant and poetic lyrics and those unbelievable vocals that conjure up a tightly-woven tapestry of patterns, colors and textures. “Music has always been the road that leads to where I’m headed,” Terrence says on his MySpace page. “In the movies, I’m doing what somebody else is asking me to do. Music is my own personal form of expression, I must say what I have to say.” And what he has to say is shinning through! ~SANDY SHORE