Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD.
This album was rare for its time: a smooth jazz release with "real" instruments. A real drummer instead of a LinnDrum. Real horns instead of synths. And, most importantly in my book, some sweet Hammond B-3 playing from Ricky Peterson. Sanborn is here with his most important collaborator, Marcus Miller and they produce music that wouldn't be out of place on their '70s/'80s releases (and that's a good thing). Overall, the music here is more funky, loud, up-tempo, and in-your-face than Sanborn's usual fare, but still very enjoyable.
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard Top 200: #107
- Billboard R&B: #60
- Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #1
- CashBox Jazz: #1
Tracks: By this time in my life, I had lost track of Sanborn, but was re-introduced to him when Bang Bang was released as a crossover single. Not typical Sanborn, but a fun party Latin-flavored track. It got some airplay on a Houston radio station, where I heard it, liked it, bought the cassette. The single reached #36 on the pop charts, not bad for a (mostly) instrumental crossover hit back then. In addition to Bang Bang, the better tracks here are Benny, Full House (with the obligatory celebrity walk-on solo from Eric Clapton), Hey, and Sanborn's take on the King Curtis classic, Soul Serenade. I'm not wild about the last two tracks.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This album was originally purchased upon its release when I was in my mid-20's. I had a beautiful wife, good job, a mortgage, a country club membership, credit card debt, etc. I was an official adult. I acted like I knew what I was doing. Society treated me like I knew what I was doing. At my teaching job, my colleagues, my students, and their parents all thought I knew what I was doing. I had no idea what I was doing.
Previously revisited for the blog:
The Best of (1994)
A Change of Heart (1987)
Backstreet (1983)
As We Speak (1982)
Voyeur (1981)
No comments:
Post a Comment