Cherokee's first solo album I Love You...Me was one of my favourite albums in 1999. And it's strange that one woman's pain can be another man's pleasure. I Love You...Me was great because Cherokee was using her music as some sort of therapy for the trouble she had gone through with her boyfriend. Sounds familiar? Well, the same happened with Syleena Johnson's Chapter 1 album. And like Syleena it looks like Cherokee has reached another chapter in her life which means that Soul Parade lacks some of the heartfelt lyrics and the more left field relaxed jazz feeling. But unlike Syleena's Chapter 2 it'll take ages until Cherokee's sophomore album will be released. There was a 12" Nectarine ages ago and then nothing really happened but Soul Parade may finally be released this year. If you browse some online record stores you'll find release dates from the past to the year 2025 like on amazon.co.uk.
It looks like that what Cherokee said in an interview for africana.com just happens to her: "I think now the timing is good, but for me, it really depends on the home that you're at. Getting the deal is easy. After you deliver the record and you have the deal, what is the label gonna do? Do they get it? Do they understand it? Are they gonna promote it right? That's the hard part. Because you can have an excellent record that doesn't do anything. Then there's a lot of records that aren't half as good and you wonder, 'why is that selling?' Because the label is pushing it and spending the money. If they don't spend the money, nothing's gonna happen."
But with some miracles that has happened I got a copy of Soul Parade and thus are able to tell you something about it.
And after various listenings all I can say it's such a shame that RCA or Arista or whatever label Soul Parade will be released have waited such a long time, because it's a very good follow up that features many well-known guest musicians like Jill Scott, Musiq, Bilal, Rashaan Patterson, Floetry or Andre 3000.
And it's hard to choose a favourite. There's the funky and catchy Runaway, Lips with it's strings in the background or the duet with Bilal on A Woman Knows, that was co-written by Musiq Soulchild. The gospel-tinged I Swear with a nice organ intro is another winner as is the great ballad Crazy that comes with ad-libs by Rashaan Patterson.
On Daddy How we get another example of Cherokee using her own experience and life to write her lyrics, something that made I Love You...Me so great. This time she tells us about her dad who wasn't there all the years and now wants to come back into her life.
With other fine songs like Where with its dramatic string intro, Star or Nothing one can easily get over the only flop here that comes in the shape of the rock-influenced Can't Let It Go with it's rather unfitting heavy rock guitars.


(for more information visit cherokeezone.com)