BWB is a a smooth jazz "supergroup" in the same vein as Fourplay and Urban Knights. We're treated to Rick Braun on trumpet, Kirk Whalum on saxophone, and Norman Brown on guitar - there's also Christian McBride on bass, but for some reason he didn't rate a title credit. This is a covers album that offers up versions of tunes from a varied array of artists from D'Angelo to Leiber & Stoller to Joe Zawinul to George Clinton. Good stuff; definitely above average smooth jazz (I'm particularly fond of Brown's soloing). I'm guessing the trio originally envisioned this as a one-off covers album because they didn't release another album for 11 years, but I could be wrong.
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard 200: Did not chart
- Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #4
Tracks: My favorites are Groovin', Ruby Baby, the slow burn of Mercy Mercy Mercy, and It's Your Thing. I don't care much for the plodding cover of Alicia Key's A Woman's Worth.
This was released as an "Enchanced CD" and, amazingly, I was able to get it to play with a few work-arounds:
Contents: links to websites, a small photo gallery, and a 10 minute promo video.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None
Previously revisited for the blog:
Rick Braun:
Shake It Up (2000)
Body And Soul (1997)
Beat Street (1995)
Kirk Whalum:
The Babyface Songbook (2005)
Unconditional (2000)
Floppy Disk (1985)
Norman Brown:
West Coast Coolin' (2004)
Celebration (1999)
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