Adriane Pontecorvo: Soulful and raw, Curtis Harding’s album Face Your Fear has been one of fall’s tightest albums, and “Need Your Love” is undoubtedly its centerpiece: an old-school jam that showcases Harding’s powerful voice and some catchy grooves. Synths anchor the retro-sounding song in the present, and there’s nothing dated about Harding’s sentiments. Girl, he needs your love, and whether you want to give it to him or not, I bet you’ll find it hard not to dance. [10/10]
Tristan Kneschke: Harding’s latest channels soul’s true essence. Invoking equal parts Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, and of course James Brown, Harding takes us back to when those titans ruled the charts. The lyrics pining for a lover mine humanity’s most universal theme, which makes it all the easier to relate and feel the charge of the accompanying beat. Fans of Blue Velvet will spot a nod to the scene where Dean Stockwell sings into the worklight, an inconsequential yet amusing reference. [7/10]
Steve Horowitz: Curtis Harding combines sweet soul and a funky bass line to create a smooth confection that makes one want to dance, hug, and kiss. It’s roots may lie in the music of a previous era, but the music’s silkiness makes it modern and timely. It challenges without being rebellious by invoking past glories. Everybody needs love. That was true then. It is true now. It will be true tomorrow. Harding brings it all together by focusing on the rhythm and creating the mood for whatever good feelings one wants to share with another. [8/10]
Chris Ingalls: Harding channels the late Wilson Pickett with an urgent soul shout, which he uniquely combines with a bit of a retro keyboard buzz, creating a refreshingly old-school neo-soul sound that isn’t really like anything else out there. It’s an irresistible nod to the past with an eye on the future. A future classic. [9/10]
William Nesbitt: This sounds like it could come straight from my soul and R&B oldies station. While the lyrics suggest a romantic love directed towards some female, the video depicts a much more expansive view of love. Love between romantic partners of various orientations and ages, love between family, love between friends, love between people and their pets, and so forth. The people in the video look like real people and not actors trying to look like real people. Bonus points for a positive representation of a pit bull. [8/10]
RATING: 8.40