Soul II Soul - Vol II : A New Decade (1990)

Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade is a 1990 album by Soul II Soul. The album reached No. 1 in the UK in May 1990, and contained three UK hits, "Get a Life", which reached No. 3 (and which peaked at No. 54 on America's Billboard Hot 100), "A Dream's A Dream", which made No. 6 (and peaked at No. 85 on the Hot 100), and "Missing You", which reached No. 22 (and did not chart on the Hot 100).
The album was recorded following the departure of Caron Wheeler (the Soul II Soul collective's best known singer) who did not perform on the record. Guest performers included singers Kym Mazelle, Lamya, Marcia Lewis and Victoria Wilson James, saxophonist Courtney Pine and legendary New York hip-hop scenester Fab 5 Freddy.
Jazzie B - musical director, co-producer, mixing, vocals on "Get a Life" & "Our Time Has Now Come"
Nellee Hooper - co-producer, mixing
Tony "Dobie" Campbell - assistant producer
Howard Bernstein - engineer
Marcia Lewis - vocals on "Get a Life", "People"
Philip "Daddae" Harvey - vocals on "Get a Life"; guitars/percussion/keyboards (uncredited)
Lamya Hafidh Sultan Al-Mugheiry - vocals on "Love Come Through" & "In the Heat of the Night"
Kym Mazelle - vocals on "Missing You"
Courtney Pine - saxophone on "Courtney Blows"
Pinise Sula - vocals on "1990. A New Decade" & "Our Time Has Now Come"
Sonti Mndebele - vocals on "1990. A New Decade" & "Our Time Has Now Come"
Nomsa Caluza - vocals on "1990. A New Decade" & "Our Time Has Now Come"
Bambi Fazakerley - vocals on "1990. A New Decade" & "Our Time Has Now Come"
Victoria Wilson James - vocals on "A Dream's a Dream"
Fred "Fab 5 Freddy" Brathwaite - vocals on "Our Time Has Now Come"
Simon Law - keyboards (uncredited)
Michael McEvoy - piano 'People', 'A Dreams A Dream' and 'Time', keyboards 'Love Come Through', 'Missing You'
When a debut album is as promising as Soul II Soul's Keep on Movin', there are always fears of a sophomore slump -- meaning that the second album won't live up to the promise of the first. But Vol. II: 1990, A New Decade, Soul II Soul's sophomore album, isn't the least bit disappointing. Although Keep on Movin' (which was titled Club Classics, Vol. 1 in England) remains the British outfit's most essential release, this is an excellent follow-up. Soul II Soul suffered a major loss when singer Karon Wheeler left to pursue a solo career after Keep on Movin'; it was a major blow, but certainly not a fatal one. Jazzie B.'s collective fares well without her on sleek urban/dance/neo-soul grooves like "Missing You" (which boasts a guest appearance by British dance diva Kym Mazelle), "People," and the haunting "A Dream's a Dream." Jazzie realized that Wheeler's departure was a big loss for Soul II Soul, and when the time came to record a second album, he filled the void by featuring talented, expressive female vocalists such as Victoria Wilson-James, Lamya, and Marcia Lewis. However, not every tune on this CD employs a vocalist. "Courtney Blows" (just to give one example) is an acid jazz instrumental that features British jazz saxophonist Courtney Pine; the tune isn't hard bop or straight-ahead jazz, but it's a pleasing example of dance music with jazz overtones. Again, Keep on Movin' is Soul II Soul's most essential album, but Vol. II: 1990, A New Decade is also well-worth the price of admission.