I bought this smooth jazz CD as a curiosity after seeing Williams on some TV news magazine promoting this release. He was still playing pro baseball and in the middle of a 7-year, $87.5-million contract with the New York Yankees. The man has won 4 World Series and was 5 time All-Star. It almost pains me to say it, but he's a good Latin-jazz guitarist, too. Born under a good sign, I guess. Either that or hard work. The CD is a mixed bag, but for an off-season baseball player, I shouldn't complain. But I'm going to complain anyway: Williams' main problem is that, while this isn't bad, there's nothing that really sets him apart from the rest of the crowd. Maybe that's why I found my "Limited Edition" in a cut-out bin (my copy is #32,123 of 50,000). Williams retired from baseball in 2006 and released another CD in 2009; I haven't heard that one.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #157 (Oct 25, 2003)
Tracks: As a songwriter, Williams doesn't do badly at all. The Williams-penned tunes I favor are La Salsa En Mi, Just Because, and Stranded On The Bridge. Of the other tunes, I like Samba Novo. Stay away from the cover of Kansas' Dust In The Wind and the self-indulgent bonus track, The Williams Kids, which is just his kids singing the contemporary Christian song, I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever, followed by some poetry reading and piano playing. Strangely, there's also a throwaway dance track included titled Enter The Bond.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.
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