Howard Shines

This is not your typical case of an actor pretending they can convert their skills to music. Terrence Howard can sing.

Howard’s previous affiliations with music include “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp,” from “Hustle and Flow,” which won an Academy Award. However, on Shine Through It, Howard takes the R&B/Pop approach and mixes it with a more serious attitude involving love, youth and war. Howard’s self-taught skills as a pianist and guitarist really show on this album.

The album’s sound ranges from sporadic brass jazz to finger-picking classic guitar with a side of violin. Shine Through It was heavily inspired by Curtis Mayfield, Duke Ellington and James Taylor, and Howard mixes them all together well.
 
And although Howard has excellent piano and guitar skills, his voice even more stellar. He has that powerful sharpness of a true soul singer but also brings a soft touch like Marvin Gaye. The man’s got a gift.

The top songs on Shine Through It are “Sanctuary,” “Mr. Johnson’s Lawn” and “Shine Through It,” which all start off the album nicely.

A lot of emphasis is placed on Howard’s quiet vocal stylings in the title track, which include touching stories about the human struggle. “Mr. Johnson’s Lawn” is perhaps the most interesting song on the album. It’s dark and catchy and has truck-loads of soul while maintaining a Spanish feel.

The deeper Howard digs and the louder he gets makes him sound all the much better, but the quiet moments on Shine Through It are very sexy. And this sexiness is riddled with Spanish tinged guitars, lustful background vocals and a singer who knows how to seduce women.