★★★★★
Unabashed devotion, forbidden lust, dance moves and giddiness about new love. Yes, 98% of today's contemporary R&B artists have covered this lyrical ground time and time again, but it takes true aplomb to make them sound like new experiences -- something that Will Downing does on his latest EP (and the final in a trilogy on his new label), Tomorrow...
- www.soultracks.com
2012-07-26
★★★★★
For nearly two decades, Will Downing has had a unique relationship with his overwhelmingly female listeners. Even among the dozens of "lover men" singers who have created meaningful careers during that period, Downing has established and maintained a level of intimacy with fans that is unmatched. Luther Vandross was arguably the greatest pure singer of his generation, but was more about embracing his songs than his listeners...
- www.soultracks.com
2010-12-07
★★★★★
Okay, I know that I'm not exactly in Will Downing's prime demographic group. And at times during his recording career, I'll admit that I've felt a little too male to respond to his music. But there are other times when his music has been so uniformly strong as to win me over. Fortunately, Soul Symphony, Downing's debut on Verve Records, is one of those occasions...
- www.soultracks.com
2010-12-07
★★★★★
Whether you meet on-line, at a stoplight or in the club, going from stranger to significant other typically involves certain milestones---the handshake turns into a hug, a whisper becomes a kiss, and on it goes. When in the wrong hands, the arc of a love story can be handled in a clichéd and formulaic manner, but when it's done by "The Prince of Sophisticated Soul," Will Downing, it instead makes for an intriguing listen...
- www.soultracks.com
2010-12-07
★★★★★
A contemporary jazz and soul performer who's made a two-decade career of effortlessly composing and interpreting smooth and sensual music, Will Downing is one of those consummate artists capable of singing the 2009 tax code and transforming it into a baby-generating smash...
- www.soultracks.com
2010-12-07
★★★★★
Passion, sensuality and pure romance are delivered with a soft, soulful voice, embracing love. Leading up to the moment of ultimate rapture, Will Downing opens Soul Symphony with "Put Me On." Collaborating with longtime friends and most masterful artists like Rex Rideout, Chris Davis and Ronnie Garrett, Downing has maintained a top spot on the smooth jazz, R&B and mainstream urban music charts since the early 1980s...
- www.jazzreview.com
2010-08-23
★★★★★
For balladeer Will Downing, thirteen is definitely a charm. His latest release on Peak Records entitled After Tonight is by far his best ever. This repertoire of classic ballads coupled with his silky smooth voice shows the extent of the talent by this songster. After Tonight is not just your regular jazz vocal album, but a compilation of songs that will definitely stir your imagination and help you to fall in love over and over again...
- www.jazzreview.com
2009-06-08
★★★★★
Will Downing is back and in full effect. Will Downing's new 10-track album perfectly entitled "Emotions" is a brilliant follow up to his last album "Sensual Journey." This album is a collective journey between great producers and even greater musicians. Produced by Downing and all the veterans in the business such as Barry Eastman, Chris Davis, Rex Rideout and Ronnie Foster, this project was a smooth emotional journey from one track to the next...
- www.jazzreview.com
2009-06-08
★★★★★
Perhaps no contemporary R&B artist has performed under as much obscurity. With the release of his seventh solo recording (his eighth recording Pleasures of the Night was a collaboration with saxophonist Gerald Albright), Will Downing remains an unknown to general R&B and pop audiences. This relative obscurity is part of the price that Downing has paid for his versatility...
- www.popmatters.com
2009-03-20
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