Tyme Johnson cites Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday, Nancy Wilson, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu as her influences. And the influences of the neo-soul’s icons can clearly be heard in her music but she has more to offer than being just a copycat.
Tyme likes to dig a little deeper lyricwise than most other nu soul artists like to go these days. She brings up the subject of unrequited love between a child and its mother (Momma, a song from a child’s point of view pleading to its mother not to give it away) and the loss of a loved one (Shorty, Tyme’s tribute to her late brother who’s supposed to have committed suicide).
And it’s the message of her songs that’s important to Tyme as she sings in the simple and soulful I Don’t Mind (”I may never be a superstar, long as my message gets to where you are, I don’t mind“).
Of course Tyme also offers us her insight on love and interpersonal relationships like the midtempo groover I Luv Your Style or the splendid downtempo song Purest Simplicity.
By the way all songs were written and co-produced by Tyme, who’s also the executive producer together with Mildred Benton. So we get one hundred percent of Tyme on this labour of love.
It’s interesting how this album grew on me with repeated listenings. At first I thought it’s a pleasant nu soul album. But as I’ve listened closer to it I discovered more of the beauty of Tyme’s music and her story-telling soul. She has really learned from her influences, combined what suited her and came up with her own style. And there’s one song that shows that Tyme not only feels at home with soul music in its various disguises. Tyme delivers a great performance on the jazzy tune Mad Day (Jazz Version) that sounds like a mixture of Lucky Dayz by Adriana Evans (from the Hoodlum soundtrack) and Davina’s Crying Blues. I hope that’s a direction Tyme wants to explore further in the future.
In a nutshell A Matter Of Time is a remarkable and inspiring debut album.

Tracklisting of A Matter Of Time: 1. Shoes (Intro)/ 2. Shorty/ 3. Sunshine/ 4. Copper Penny/ 5. Momma/ 6. Shoes (Interlude)/ 7. I Luv Your Style/ 8. Clinic/ 9. Purest Simplicity/ 10. In Between Stuff/ 11. I Don’t Mind/ 12. People That’s Got/ 13. Mad Day (Street Version)/ 14. Shoes (In Your Closet)/ 15. Mad Day (Jazz Version) | released 2005 Tyme Entertainment/Jive Turkey Records

For more infos visit tymecd.com and cdbaby.com.

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