What's in a name?

Song titles can range from the obscure to the straight-up statement of fact, from the long-winded and metaphorical, to the concise and direct. They can be the summary of a song's content, or the repeated rhythmical coda of a song's chorus, the very thing which can lodge itself in your brain and whirl round and round without respite, prompting you to dig out the original at the earliest opportunity and scratch that internal itch. And yet a title is never unimportant important, for it is often the calling card of the slices of melodic composition to which we devote so much of our time.

Titles don't necessarily have to bear a resemblance to the subject matter that they represent, but there is a certain satisfactory tidiness when they do. And one song that does precisely what it says on the tin with stunning simplicity is none other than the Sounds of Blackness' masterful cut of house inflected gospel, the mighty joy that is "Optimistic". For here is a song which wears its heart proudly on its sleeve, and oozes the sentiment of its name through every note and beat. Rarely has the symbiosis of title and topic been more wonderfully realised, for "Optimistic" is simply a song that lifts you up with its pure positivity, no matter what your mood. If in the depths of sorrow, as with the lyrics that kick the song itself off, then you will soon be walking with a spring in your step.

Even if you are floating on a cloud of titties and think the day can't get any better, a listen to this tune will always notch you up that little bit higher. Taken from their immense debut album, 1991’s "The Evolution of Gospel" (itself an apt moniker if ever there was one), "Optimistic" is that rare example of a song that transcends any genre definitions. Instead, like the album that spawned it, the song combines elements of the gospel sound from which the group has its foundations, as well as uplifting House, the contemporaneous new jack swing sound, classic soul and r'n'b. With lead vocals from the always impressive Ann Nesby who gives a smoothly delicious performance here, the song's real standout element, however, is in its production.

This comes from none other than fellow Minneapolis scenesters Jam and Lewis who signed the group to their Pespective Records label, and turned their talents to a choice number of the cuts from this debut release, while fresh from Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation sessions. The result is a quite brilliant example of the urban soul sound that they virtually owned in the early 1990s. Jam and Lewis produced the three standout tracks from this long-player, "Optimistic", "The Pressure (Parts 1 and 2)" and "Testify", a combination that proved commercially as well as critically powerful. But group leader Gary Hines is no compositional slouch either and the rest of the album follows and expands the winning template, with songs of richness, subtle complexity, celebration and joyful beauty.

You all know “Optimistic” I am sure, and probably “The Pressure” also, if only through Frankie Knuckles' incredible remix. But if you haven't dug out the longer album for a while then the time is right for a revisit, for it is an album that has truly stood the travails of time, an epithet that can't necessarily be applied to other formerly well-received efforts touched with the new jack brush. i particularly love "Your Wish Is My Command" and the beautiful "I'll Fly Away", but there are true gems throughout and the album is well worthy of some kind of classic status. For now though, a delve straight into the masterpiece that is "Optimistic" will suffice. Come on get lifted. As another famous song title once said, albeit in a less brilliant fashion, I love your smile