.....And the last time many of my long-time blog followers saw the name 'RHYTHM SYNDICATE', it was when I featured the band's self-titled debut album on "The Music Nexus: Reloaded" a couple of years ago. On that one, the 'RHYTHM' part of their name had been purposely misspelled without the 'H'; here on their second and final studio album, "Sex, Life & Love", the 'H' is there in its rightful place. What originally started off as a music request for RHYTHM SYNDICATE's discography had eventually become something I added to my own personal wishlist once I'd had the opportunity to hear that debut album for myself. Another wish fulfilled, I can happily say tonight, and I 'wish' to share that good fortune with all of you! In my second tour with RHYTHM SYNDICATE, I made time to look into the band's origins—something I've been pushing myself to do with artists that I either don't know very well yet or never took time to really get to know personally beyond the singing and songwriting. Found out lots of cool information, such as lead vocalist Evan Rogers (the fourth guy from the left featured above on the cover artwork) having gained attention by producing and songwriting for a plethora of popular music artists that has included the boybands N*SYNC and BOYZONE; former "American Idol" winners Ruben Studdard and Kelly Clarkson; former teen sensations Debbie Gibson Christina Aguilera; r&b/soul divas Stephanie Mills, Cheryl Lynn and Jennifer Holliday; pop legend Donny Osmond; plus rising pop/r&b superstar Rihanna. How's that for musical diversity? Gotta admire those artists who produce and write for other singers while also being a performer themselves, but I was so surprised to read that Evan wasn't able to continue RHYTHM SYNDICATE's success beyond the two years that they were in existence, considering the masterpiece he constructed here on this "Sex, Life & Love" album. The music gets down and dirty right from the get-go with the raw, sex-themed opening track, "Just For The Sex"—a 5+ minute explosion of funk and new jack swing. But that's only a small sampling of the eclectic personalities of the tunes that follow. Once Evan has gotten your attention and set the stage for the rest of the album on that one, you're in for more music explosions, like the the reggae and rock sounds of "I Wanna Make Love To You" (more sex themes in the lyrics), the orchestral overtures featured in "Can I Get Naked With You?" (definitely more sex themes in the lyrics, and I really dig the violin/cello solo instrumental about midway through the song), the smooth jazz vibes of "Somebody Call A Doctor" and "Little Pussycat" and the progressive punk rock banging that comes from way out of left field on the final track, "All You Non-Believers". And because just about every song averages six minutes or longer, you get to enjoy the grooves of the slower jams for much longer time than you could on most other albums. "Never Never Girl", for example, which is my #1 favorite, lasts for nearly seven minutes! Begins with a beautiful acapella, then glides along until the end (the saxophone interlude is not to be missed!). "Forever In Love" is about a minute shorter than that one, but it's nothing short of being Evan's greatest vocal performance if "Never Never Girl", where Evan's voice reaches the upper echelon of his vocal range, doesn't beat it out. "Somebody Call A Doctor": This one runs for close to seven minutes as well, and the jazzed-up dance beat will keep you entertained for every second of it! You just might need a doctor sure enough after you've danced yourself dizzy on the dancefloor and can't pick yourself off of it afetrwards. The vocals (and the sexy lyrics) are part of what makes this album so attractive as well as make it a platinum success, though in the classic words of one of my favorite Latin-American singers Gloria Estefan, 'The rhythm is gonna get you':
1. Just For The Sex
2. I Wanna Make Love To You
3. Can I Get Naked With You?
4. Living On The Frontline
5. Never Never Girl
6. Sexitivity
7. Somebody Call A Doctor
8. Little Pussycat
9. The Story Of Tracy And Paul
10. Forever In Love
11. All You Non-Believers
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