Don't be fooled by the Blue Note label, this thing is often more R&B than jazz. Goes down smooth. I was unable to find any press from 1997, but I feel certain the term "quiet storm" was probably used at least once in those reviews and/or press releases. At the time of this recording, the group's original three members (bassist Cedric Napoleon, drummer Curtis Harmon, keyboardist James Lloyd) were joined by Michael Antonio Thornton (keyboards) and Eddie Baccus, Jr. (saxophone). There's also plenty of big name guest artists present here, including Maxi Priest, Everette Harp, Greg Phillinganes, Hubert Laws, George Duke, and Jeff Lorber, as well as their long-time friend Grover Washington, Jr., who had helped the group since their early days.
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard 200: Did not chart
- Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #14
Tracks: It's all an easy listen, but my top picks are ...And A Bag Of Chips, D'Vora, and Knikki's Smile. My least favorite is Voices Of Wisdom. The disc closes with a fun cover of Stevie Wonder's Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours) which sounds like something the band just threw together and had a blast doing it.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Found this in the used bins of Hogwild Records one day and it quickly became my go-to smooth jazz album for quite some time afterwards.
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