Regular Columnists

Artist: IBU
Album: "Redefined"
CD Review: Genre: R&B
Sounds Like: Kolorz
Technical Grade: 8
Production/Musicianship Grade: 8
Commercial Value: 7
Overall Talent Level: 9
Songwriting Skills: 9
Performance Skill: 10
Best Songs: I Can’t Get Over You, Say No More, What I Said, Hard Life, Half The Man
Weakness: Production sounds not current
CD Review: The male vocal trio, IBU (which stands for Inspired By You) consisting of Tommy Chanthasene, Michael Musni, and Jonathan Shau from Chicago, Illinois, sent me a project that aptly showcases their lead, harmonizing, and performance skills through a repertoire of well-written songs that emphasize their greatest strength: ballads.

Their arsenal of R&B tracks, which are largely produced by Tommy Chanthasene, help IBU carve out a niche for themselves that works both for and against them (from an industry perspective) with their retro, late nineties/early 2001 feel. The stand out songs include "What I Said," "I’ll Be," and "Say No More," but it's their David Foster like Pop ballad, "Half The Man," which can help put them on industry radar - or on a Disney movie soundrack.

While IBU does cover semi-contemporary ground with the pseudo Dr. Dre /50 Cent flavored "Party On" and the hip-hop inspired "Hardlife," which features some of their best vocal arrangements and will earn them some coveted street cred. Their most commercial song, "I Can’t Get Over You" (another ballad) is the clear radio favorite with its smooth harmonies and instantly memorable chorus.

With potent vocals and a strong musical identity, IBU has truly succeeded in creating an R&B sound that’s Redefined.

Advice: You guys have a great musical sensibilities that can be enhanced by updating your production which will make you even more commercially competitive.

www.ibumusic.com

www.myspace.com/ibu