ILLECT Recordings signee’s James Gardin and Terem recently teamed up for a funky, new record titled Groove. Terem brings out the best in James and his half-sung raps and catchy chorus. Groove has potential, but it’s lacking polish. James often goes off-key, and the volume of his voice changes rapidly. I’m not sure if that’s due to poor engineering or vocal control, but it greatly takes away from the song.

RECAP: We wrote extensively about James’ music video to Complaining, as I absolutely loved it. You can’t win them all, but that doesn’t take away from the solid work James has done.

Make no mistake, there is a lot to like about Groove. The beat is upbeat, yet soulful, and James has a great understanding of the best way to combine rhyming with singing. The track is fun and carefree, with a lot of heart. The talent is there, but some things in the song need to be tweaked.