Quentin Moore: You Forgot Your Heart

Continuing the pattern of his self-produced debut Vintage Love (2009) and Quentinized (Mixtape) (2011), Quentin Moore wrote, sang most vocals, played most instruments, and recorded and produced You Forgot Your Heart himself, from the heart. "With this project, I wanted to offer something organic to listeners, while maintaining that core soul sound," Moore suggests. "I like to say my style is vintage soul, with a contemporary feel."

You Forgot Your Heart honors and advances the vocal soul music traditions of Sam Cooke and Curtis Mayfield, of Stax and Motown Records. The smooth background vocal and shuffling beat gently kicked along by soft funk bass turn "That's My Girl" into the Motown sound, though its closing vamp dives headlong into Cooke's hand-clapping gospel fever. "Lola Jean," where Moore introduces "the sexiest woman in the world" while his falsetto dances upon a bright melody led by cheery vibes and counterpoint brass, and his duet with Tess Henley on "I Could Fall in Love With You," sound like two more Motown classics.

Released as the advance single, "Natural Sista" has floated like a Marvin Gaye come-on all the way to the top of the UK's Breaking Artists Independent and UK Soul Charts. Moore might want to bust the opening "I Wish I Was Crazy" out as its follow-up: It drops you into a pool of cool but deep soul and funk from the time Moore chops down on its first rhythm guitar chord, and its chorus, sung in his smooth yet slightly pained vocal, serves a great reminder that success isn't always what you think it will be: "Sometimes I wish I was crazy/ Sometimes I wish I didn't have it all/ Sometimes I wish I could lose it/ Because I would, yeah—I really would."

All this lovey-dovey is nice, but other tracks prove that Moore can get down with the nasty, too. He spikes "Witch" on a ripping electric guitar hook that leads the rhythm section through its angry stomp (and for once, when an artist moans "It's about to get real funky" before whipping out a solo, it actually does). "My Way" isn't the Paul Anka hit but it's no less a cry for freedom: Moore uses his falsetto vocal to offset one of his most snarling and strong instrumental tracks while drums and bass rock the beat heavy and deep beneath Mark Lettieri's wah and solo guitar.

"I want my audience to feel as if the songs were written specifically for them and as if I'm singing directly to them," Moore explains. "That creates a certain connection with a listener that makes me appreciate the music and makes me, as an artist, appreciate them."