One of the wonders that is the Neville Brothers is the way four personalities, like points on a compass, can face in different directions yet together complete a circle. Cyril, for my money, has always been the Soulful One, providing both burning vocal chops (check out “Sold My Heart to the Junkman” on Live on Planet Earth) and the most fiercely expressed political conscience. On 1994’s The Fire This Time, with the Uptown Allstars, Cyril provided us with a cultural expedition through the too-often neglected past of New Orleans’ riches (calling for, among other things, a monument to Mahalia Jackson somewhere in the city, a suggestion that still needs to be acted on). Now comes the first solo project of Cyril’s career, equally given to reflections on both current events and private lives.
Not many performers in this day-and-age would think to record Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin'” transformed as a gospel hymn. But that is the wonder of Cyril’s vision. The first half of Soulo, concluding with Dylan, addresses social injustice, from the unnecessary deaths of rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls to Martin Luther King’s unfinished legacy; “Fonkaliscious” draws the connection between truth and grace, while “No Justice, No Peace” reminds us that equality can prevent violence. Throughout, Cyril’s vocals, pleading and impassioned, deliver their message over a contemporary mix of ricocheting bass, swelling harmonies and Mean Willie Green’s mean rhythmic accents.
The personal side of the program kicks off with a pair of relationship songs penned by Cyril’s “Queen,” Gaynielle Housey-Neville, a matched set of misperceptions from the male and female perspectives that are as insightful and well-crafted as any of their kind. “Can’t Wait to Get Back (Home)” depicts the loneliness of the road, “Calling All Souls” asks for the Earth’s healing, and “Be My Lady,” from the pen of former Meters drummer Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste, luxuriates in a true and abiding love. Soulo matches a dance-floor vibe with personal concerns in a unique style that offers as much comfort to the heart and soul as it does to the body and mind. Cyril Neville, in his own, soulful way, is unique on the contemporary scene, combining the American “protest” tradition with the hip-shaking joy of the Afro-Caribbean music, telling us some hard truths without forgetting to let us dance.
