Father's Children - Sky's The Limit / 2007

Yet another contender for album of the year is the excellent Father's Children Sky's The Limit CD on FC Music. Once again, I was turned onto this group by Mick O'Donnell on Soul Discovery.

You can listen to tracks on CD Baby.

Here's the run down on the group:

During the late 70’s and early 80’s, a local group from Washington D.C. emerged that caught the area by storm. The group was called Fathers Children, and had a very distinct sound that was compared to the likes of Earth, Wind and Fire and other self-contained acts of the time. Their sound was coined “the crisscross rhythms of righteousness” because the music was syncopated and funky. The group’s musical philosophy was quite diverse. Their repertoire covered genres from R&B, Pop and Jazz, to Funk and Light Rock. Known for strong vocals and tight harmonies, the group was celebrated for putting their unique stamp on any piece of music they did back then and they still do today! Fathers Children performed with artists like Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Teddy Pendergrass, Stephanie Mills, Frankie Beverly and Maze and many others. The group released an album on Mercury Records in 1980 titled Fathers Children.

The group has reformed after a long hiatus of working with other musicians in the metropolitan Washington area. Audience response from a few reunion gigs about two years ago convinced them to make their return as Fathers Children permanent. The group members are Tony Contee (guitar and vocals), Art Mosely (Keyboards), Charles Robinson (drums), Qaadir Sumler (lead vocals and keyboards), Greg Ross (Bass and vocals), and Ted Carpenter (lead vocals and percussion).

The group has been performing locally for the past 2 years and is pleased to announce the arrival of their new CD titled “The Sky’s The Limit.” You will no doubt agree that the music on the CD is quite diverse, with songs ranging from Funk with a little Hip Hop sprinkled in, to R&B ballads, to smooth jazz-like melodies.