Chuck Mangione - Everything For Love (2000)

I had given up on Mangione and his music in the early '80s, but when I saw this CD in a used bin for $3, I figured it couldn't hurt to give him another try. It's about what I would have expected: a more mature, low-key, subtle recording. On the other hand, he's still wearing that damn hat. As of this writing, this CD is Mangione's latest release of new material (according to his official website).

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: The opener, Peggy Hill (yes, written for the King of the Hill TV show), sounds like late '70s Mangione as do Seoul Sister and Fox Hunt. Slo Ro is a nice bluesy piece that doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard Mangione play. That could be because he switches from his trademark flugelhorn to a muted trumpet. You would expect an arrangement of Amazing Grace to fall on its face and you'd be right. Not even a decent organ solo can save it. The ballad Viola also never seems to get anywhere. The jazz waltz written for his father, Papa Mangione, is a nice piece. The CD ends with Freddie's Walkin', described in the liner notes as "a song of celebration written for my godson born with cerebral palsy." That sort of comment almost dares you not to like the piece, but I have to admit it's an uplifting gospel number with a surprisingly good vocal from bassist Charles Meeks. It's probably the best song on the CD.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I bought this CD during a trip to San Antonio in 2009 and first listened to it on my way home up Hwy 21. I put it in the CD player expecting to hate it completely before realizing it wasn't as bad as I had thought it might be. After all, if it was so great, why was it in a used bin? When you don't have any expectations, you're never disappointed.