
Smooth jazz fans will know all about Scottish-born, LA raised and San Diego based RICHARD ELLIOT. A jazz chart topper and Grammy nominee, Elliot has 20 albums in his own name, countless collaborations and a CV that incudes work with Tower of Power, Smokey Robinson, Bonnie Raitt, The Temptations, Natalie Cole, the Pointer Sisters, Dave Koz and Gerald Albright to name just a few. So yes, he’s a shining star in the smooth jazz firmament but his work can never be classed as “lite” or bland. Indeed, his oeuvre always delivers a soulful undertow – maybe caused by a combination of factors… his upbringing in a soul loving family and his five year stint with Tower of Power?
Whatever, you can enjoy Mr. E in all his soulful pomp on this, his 21st album as lead. Right away, you’ll be drawn to the set’s big soul cover – a take on Jam and Lewis’ ‘Tell Me If You Still Care About Me’, a 1983 outing for the SOS Band. Elliot says: “I have always been a big fan of The S.O.S. Band and an extremely big fan of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. When that band came out, they had a unique sound that didn’t sound like anyone else.”. Here our man treats the slowie with respect allowing his sax to caress the melody while a stellar seven piece vocal ensemble (including Phil Perry and Lynne Fiddmont) coo sweetly in the background.
The album’s other down tempo moment is ‘Beautiful’ and with a title like ‘As The Day Fades’ you’d expect a gentle chiller. This, however, is a sweet mid-tempo groove. The remaining six cuts are pacier and varied. For instance, ‘Straight Up Do’ delivers a light Caribbean vibe adding an element of intrigue. Producer Paul Brown guests on this one. Amongst the other guest players are Lenny Castro and Ricky Peterson while helping on production are Kevin Flournoy and Euge Groove’s who’s at the controls for the opener, ‘Very Delicious’ which sort of sums up the album – both sonically and in name.
(BB) 3/5