VIVID

This early effort opens with a melodic build of drumbeats, causing the listeners ears to perk and stay there for the 30 minutes of crafted, fun, and mellow music that follows. Although this varied group of Xavier students and Bourbon Street musicians has only been playing together for a year or so, they manage to put out a CD of seven original songs (with the exception of a funky redo of the classic "Happy Together") with a sound that betrays their youth and promises to develop into a unique groove.

What makes this disc so initially likeable are the strong and charismatic vocals of Christina Jones, who shows her range, moving from the opener "Earth Song" to the lovely "Black Butterfly" effortlessly.
Vivid's real strengths are sweet and jazzy melodies where Jones is allowed to relax from the harder rhythms and show off the ease and lyrical beauty of her voice. This quality is evident in the disc's finale, "Come and Fly with Me," a yearning love song whose emotion is expressed not only in Jones' vocals but also in the alternating modes of Vivid's skillful harmony.


Devon Doane OFFBEAT MAGAZINE - OFFBEAT MAGAZINE

Reforming the sound of neo-soul, VIVID is the new and upcoming band that is rewriting the style of music

Every now and then a group comes along that permeates your being, leaves a smile on your face, and makes you wonder if everybody else will get it. This is Vivid. Forget commercialism; Vivid is a group that springs forth from roots planted deep in rich blends of soul, latin and r&b. What a pleasant surprise!!

Listen to Earth Song with its rich tone of latin drum and percussion, blending a sound reminiscent of old soul sounds mixed with a thick R&B bass. This is a song that clearly came from the heart. Then imagine the surprise of hearing a strong female voice belt out the old Turtles hit, "So Happy Together"?

Vivid produces a sound that transcends time and reminds us that music isn't always about rules of formula but gut feeling coupled with fun.

I hope we hear more from this group.


Theresa Yarbrough
Bitchin' Entertainment - Bitchin' Entertainment

Even the most fervid fan of music would be intrigued by a band that features a classically trained female lead singer, a drummer with a background rooted in gospel music, a bass player whose apprenticeship was served as jazz and funk genres and a trumpeter schooled in the intemperate culture of brass bands. Those flavors and temperaments collide to form a dynamic five some with a crossbred sound which goes by the name VIVID.

With over 40 songs recorded to date, Vivid’s musical range extends from jazz, funk and R&B to Latin, rock and alternative sounds. And despite Vivid’s members being in late college years, their music posses a mature and seasoned feel that eludes the music de jour of many of their peers. "We really don’t attract the hardcore, butt-shakin’ crowd," group leader Desmond L. Venable explains. By no means is he suggesting that anything is wrong with the urban club scene. He and the other members of Vivid simply recognize the need for musical diversity, which probably accounts for the fact that the group’s core audience are 25 years of age and older. "We try to touch every age group, but that is just our biggest market right now," Desmond offers.

Not to be mistaken with the adult-world entrepreneurs Vivid Video, this Crescent City band of artists is firmly committed to using its original, heartfelt music to promote peace and alleviate social ills. Venable, a self-proclaimed "brass band cat," also keyboardist and trumpeter, says that while he and his band mates bring very different talents to the table they share one essential goal: to deliver meaningful music.

With so much injustice and social despair, Venable finds it difficult for his music to not reflect life, and his music as the mirrored image. An image containing all life’s colors, metaphorically and literally.

According to Venable, The Vivid experience is served on two levels. First, listeners will definitely get a unique groove. Listeners can also expect to hear a positive message. Venable considers his group’s music and style to be therapeutic. "Doctors can make people smile by making them feel better, and I believe that we are technicians in same, because in some ways our music heals," he insists.

Vivid’s fusion of style culture and various musical genres is not only emitted through verbal dispatch but also by its physical composition. Jazz guitarist Matthew Fricke is the lone band member of European descent and is very comfortable collaborating with his band mates of color because "the music feels good," he said. Fricke has played with more than 20 bands but says he has never experienced such a "new and unique" sound.

"I have never experienced anything like this before," he adds.

One of the songs penned by Venable is "I Don’t Care," a soulful tune with a rock edge that emphasizes the importance of self-expression and "being the person that you want to be." The songwriter says outsiders who critiqued his personal style inspired the song (He added in jest the his initial title for the song was "I Don’t Give A F***" but thought better of it and settled on the politically correct "I Don’t Care.").

Thought Venable solely plays instruments during the band’s live performances, lead singer
Vegas Cola employs the songwriter’s colorful scripts and sings as if the words were all her own. The passion emanating from her vocal chords is anything but lip service. " I can’t sing a song that I can’t identify with’" she confesses.

On stage, Cola is alive with her body often serving as a conduit for emotionally thickened alteration or melody and rhythmic patterns expressed through instrument. Herein lies part of Vivid’s mystique: a blending of different musical art forms to create a sound so pure it stirs feelings from within. This electric blend of music genres begs a pertinent question: how should one categorize Vivid’s music?

Theirs is a musical euphony like no other. "We try to come up with a sound that is unique," Venable says, "We don’t try to emulate anyone: we don’t try to do the Jill Scott sound’ or an Erykah Badu flavor. We just want to do us."

Bass guitarist Marius Tilton clams inspiration from the great Victor Wooten and the jazz scene as a whole. Try as he might, Tilton is unable to place this band into any single genre. "I can’t compare it to anybody out there right now," he told Louisiana Weekly. "I can hear our music being played on any radio station."

Vivid was formed three years ago by Desmond L. Venable and has been an uphill struggle to acquire the sound it now possesses. The group’s founder says vocalist and musicians have come and gone as the band continued to evolve into what it is today. He says he felt compelled to remain adamant about his artistic goals and to remain focused on what he envisioned from the group since its inception. He envisioned a band that loved music and was not afraid to take chances artistically and travel the proverbial road less traveled. He says the love and support - The Louisiana Weekly