Dawkins and Dawkins

Description

The self-titled debut album by the American R&B duo Dawkins and Dawkins was released on Benson Records in 1993, distributed by A&M Records.

If you’re going to be someone’s protege, and you’re a snappy new urban gospel brother duo, there’s probably none better than Commissioned lead man Fred Hammond. Such has been the good providence of Anson and Eric Dawkins. After a touring stint with Commissioned, it was back into the studio for the Ohio siblings.

Their debut belies the influences of their mentor group, especially Commish’s last two Benson sets. It’s the brothers’ vocal singularity that pushed Dawkins & Dawkins into its own voice. If Anson and Eric’s pipes remind you of former GUY singer Aaron Hall, the Dawkins’ tones are seasoned by gentleness and elasticity Hall either doesn’t have or hasn’t been wont to vocalize.

And their flexibility gets a workout here. Surely to be favorites at you next gospel skate night – lest you’d rather dance – are the post-swingbeat inflection of «Wonder Why» and «Watching Over Me» and the house/funk fusion that will embed «Everybody Needs Somebody» into heads everywhere. «Everybody»’s remixed at album’s end for those needing the harder beats R&B radio purveys lately.

Where Dawkins & Dawkins will win over gospel purists (whatever that means now) are on some of the ballads. «Come Unto Me» is a beaut, but a soul wrenching double play comes in the second half where a mid-tempo «I Will Return» precedes the starkly warm «I Will Rest In The Lord». The latter ought to be all over Christian radio formats across racial boundaries.

There’s only enough sub-par material here to insure that the next Dawkins & Dawkins set will have something with which to better the first. That’s not much to be improved, really. With the right mainstream push, you might soon be saying Winans and Dawkins & Dawkins in the same breath. It’s a breath i’ll look forward to taking. [Jamie Lee Rake, CCM, March 1993]

CD tracklist:

01. Everybody Needs Somebody – 4:43
02. Doc, Check It Out! – 0:10
03. Outta Ya Mind – 5:03
04. Come Unto Me – 4:37
05. Wonder Why – 4:40
06. Watching Over Me – 4:20
07. Living For You – 5:11
08. God In You – 4:56
09. The Closer I Get To You – 4:57
10. I Shall Return – 4:49
11. I Will Rest In The Lord – 4:15
12. Everybody Needs Somebody (Remix) – 4:56
13. Outta Ya Mind (Reprise) – 0:51

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Benson Records.