| Rooms in My Fatha's House | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Vinx | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Genre | Jazz pop | |||
| Label | Pangaea/I.R.S. | |||
| Producer | Sting, Vinx, John Eden, Greg Poree | |||
| Vinx chronology | ||||
| ||||
Rooms in My Fatha's House is the debut album by the American musician Vinx, released in 1991. Vinx referred to his music as "prehistoric pop" or "cross-under", claiming that it was neither rock nor world nor jazz.
Vinx supported the album by opening for Sting on his Soul Cages tour.
Production
The album was produced in part by Sting, who also penned the liner notes. Sting acted as more of a caretaker of the recording sessions, allowing Vinx creative control and ensuring that there wasn't any outside interference.
Taj Mahal, Branford Marsalis, Sheryl Crow, and Herbie Hancock were among the album's guest musicians. The actor Roscoe Lee Browne appears on "While the City Sleeps". Vinx's regular band, made up of percussionists and a vocalist, was dubbed the Barkin' Feet.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Chicago Tribune |  |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| Houston Chronicle | |
| MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide | |
The Washington Post called the album "a collection of tunes that juxtapose earthy percussion with Vinx's rich, romantic, melodic baritone." The Chicago Tribune thought "Vinx does catchy uncluttered little pop tunes with a twist of jazz or worldbeat rhythms." The News-Sentinel wrote that "an array of traditional percussion instruments, with tones as rich and deep as any guitar or bass, provide the background to a vocal orchestra."
The State-Times concluded that "the songs just don't have enough variety and lyrical insight to sustain repeated listenings." The Star-Ledger determined that the songs were "a reference manual for world-beat percussion," noting that "the instrumentation on 'Porch Light' alone includes daiko drum, djun-djun, cuica, congas, berimbaus, rubber band sticks, cabasa, gong, heco-heco and pandeiro." The Hamilton Spectator listed Rooms in My Fatha's House as the 8th best album of 1991.
AllMusic called the album "a wonderfully refreshing piece of art filled with memorable melodies, world beat percussion, unusual instrumentation, and the occasional jazz flourishes." The Encyclopedia of Popular Music considered it "an auspicious debut, merging samba, funk and hip hop with the artist's highly individual rhythmic instincts."
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tell My Feet" | |
| 2. | "I Should Have Told Her" | |
| 3. | "My TV" | |
| 4. | "While the City Sleeps" | |
| 5. | "I'll Give My All to You" | |
| 6. | "Captain's Song" | |
| 7. | "Somehow Did You Know" | |
| 8. | "Little Queen" | |
| 9. | "Temporary Love" | |
| 10. | "Porch Light" | |
| 11. | "Don't Got to Be That Way" | |
| 12. | "A Little Bit More" |
References
- ^ Lustig, Jay (April 11, 1991). "Vinx Fuses Global Rhythms with Pop Music Traditions". News. The Star-Ledger.
- ^ MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 595.
- "Vinx Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- Howell, Peter (26 July 1991). "Percussionist Vinx had life before Sting". Toronto Star. p. D12.
- Nager, Larry (March 14, 1991). "Vinx's 'Prehistoric Pop' Explores Soul". The Cincinnati Post. p. 7B.
- "Vinx Gets Attention with Self-Styled Sound". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2021-10-23. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- McIntyre, Ken (March 7, 1991). "A rainy day put Vinx in spotlight". The Washington Times. p. E3.
- McTavish, Brian (March 19, 1991). "Discovery by Sting puts Vinx on tour". The Kansas City Star. p. E5.
- McShane, Larry (11 Apr 1991). "Vinx hopes to triple-jump on charts". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 8.
- White, Ken (28 Feb 2003). "Snaring the Spotlight". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 48J.
- ^ Mitchell, Rick (April 28, 1991). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 17.
- McShane, Larry (May 17, 1991). "Ex-Athlete Is Out Making Tracks Again". Los Angeles Daily News. Associated Press. p. L41.
- ^ "Rooms in My Fatha's House". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2015-12-21. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ Heim, Chris (1 Aug 1991). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 444.
- "Limelight". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- Reagan, Denise M. (August 17, 1991). "Eclectic Releases by One-Named Musicians Defy Labels". The News-Sentinel. p. 5SU.
- Heitman, Danny (March 25, 1991). "Sting's crowd lukewarm to songs from new album". The State-Times. p. 2D.
- Krewen, Nick (30 Dec 1991). "Critic's choice". The Hamilton Spectator. p. D1.