Who would have thought that in these days of casted wannabe super groups and singers there's still the classic way of singing from an early age and then doing some background vocals (in Vivian Green's case for Jill Scott) before you get a records contract?
With only 23 years of age it's even better that Vivian Green does mature music that's more soul than R&B/Urban pop. And she writes her own lyrics to the songs or like she says: 'I did a lot of songs from scratch, I'd just go into the studio, like, 'What do we want to do today, something up-tempo?' And before the day was over we'd have a whole song. I like writing like that. I'm really fast.'
So what has our fast Vivian to offer? A pleasant mix of soul (which sometimes sound a little bit like Jill Scott but that's ok since Vivian did soms background vocals for her) and jazz.
Lyricwise Vivian focuses like the title A Love Story suggests mainly on the usual LOVE thing. With the exception of the good opening track Wishful Thinking that may sound a little naive but maybe it could be that simple if all people wish the same ('I wanna send my little brother Solomon to college, with no problem/ And how I hope/ The children that I sponsor down in Chile/ They get the money I send/ And I wanna fly/ To Paris a year for a vacation/ With my husband/ And how I hope/ The nations will stop fighting and find sweet peace, somewhere down deep')...so at least Vivian is aware of the trouble out there.
24 Hour Blue (Just One Of Those Days) is one of Jill-Scott-soundalike songs here but first there's nothing wrong with it and second it fits into the rest of the songs.
One of the hightlights here is the Osunlade produced What Is Love? A fine ballad about Vivian's thought about love.
And I really love her jazz excursion No Sittin' By The Phone, a story of a lost love that ends with the insight 'Now I see, I must first love me/And maybe Mr. Right will come strolling along'.
Other hightlights are the aptly titled Emotional Rollercoaster, Affected or the swinging Keep On Going with its funny ending (Vivian wants to finish the song but the band keeps on playing).
A Love Story is a very good debut album with good songs and a fine singer, so make sure to check it out soon.