Written by Adriana Morales
"What would you think if I told you that there were more colors than gray?"
These are the first lines sung by 24-year-old Memphis, TN artist Gedeon Luke on his EP Perfect Ain't Perfect. Partnered with his rich voice that is full of life, "Lend Me Your Sunshine" is a fun and uplifting instrumental that starts off lightly but gets more complex as it goes on, all without losing the listener. Once the second track "Soul Child" began to play, I knew this EP was made to take us back to a time when music was still being mixed and experimented with; a time where music lovers could really connect to what they heard in their homes, cars, or walking down the street. Perfect Ain't Perfect is all about SOUL.
This became even more obvious when "Hurting Kind" came on. I was able to hear the love and passion that he and his band, The People, have for creating and performing music. These are not the kind of songs that blow up one summer and are forgotten about by the next season. These are the kind of tracks that you want to keep; maybe to listen to while you relax in a warm bubble bath or with a glass of wine; soothing and quite thoughtful.
Many people already claim that Gedeon and The People remind them of classic artists such as Curtis Mayfield, Sly & The Family Stone, and even Lenny Kravitz, to name a few. I have to say while I agree, the first person that came to mind when listening to Perfect Ain't Perfect was none other than James Brown. Yes, this man has got some of the same soul and feeling in his voice as the legendary singer had in his.This was especially evident when "Standing On Top Of The World" burst from my laptop's speakers. I didn't even have to watch the music video for it, which you can find below, to picture Gedeon's artistic persona. I will tell you however, the video matched the track's vibrant, funky style and you better believe you'll want to get down or "get on up" to this track as Brown would have said.
All in all, I enjoyed Perfect Ain't Perfect and was left wanting to hear more of Gedeon Luke and The People. Try to to catch them performing in NYC sometime while on a date as this is the kind of music that is turly universal and can only bring people closer in a great way.
