Lonnie Liston Smith - Love Is the Answer

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:37
Size: 155,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:19)  1. In the Park
(4:46)  2. Love Is the Answer
(5:57)  3. Speak About It
(4:01)  4. Bridge Through Time
(5:46)  5. On the Real Side
(4:57)  6. The Enchantress
(6:05)  7. Give Peace a Chance (Make Love Not War)
(3:13)  8. Free and Easy
(7:06)  9. Space Princess (Special Disco Version)
(7:07) 10. A Song for the Children (Special Version of the 7inch Single)
(3:42) 11. Love Is the Answer (7inch Version)
(3:36) 12. Bridge Through Time (7inch Version)
(3:41) 13. Give Peace a Chance (Make Love Not War) (7inch Version)
(3:14) 14. Free and Easy (7inch Version)

Lonnie Liston Smith entered the 1980s with Love Is the Answer, which is quite similar to previous Columbia efforts like Exotic Mysteries and Song for the Children. Jazz's hard-liners continued to call Smith a sellout; as they saw it, a musician who was talented enough to have been employed by the likes of Pharoah Sanders, Betty Carter, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk had no business becoming more commercial and catering to the quiet storm audience. But while Love Is the Answer isn't as challenging as Smith's work with Kirk and Sanders and isn't in a class with such Flying Dutchman gems as Astral Traveling and Expansions, it isn't a bad album either. "The Enchantress," "Bridge Through Time" (which female rap group the Conscious Daughters sampled on their 1993 recording "We Roll Deep"), "In the Park," and other instrumentals on this LP aren't brilliant, but they're pleasant and likable. 

Love Is the Answer was the second Smith album to employ vocalist James "Crabbe" Robinson, who had replaced Donald Smith and is featured on the mellow title song as well as the funkier selections "Speak About It" and "Give Peace a Chance (Make Love Not War)." The charismatic Donald Smith was a tough act to follow, but Robinson handled himself nicely when he was a member of the Cosmic Echoes. While Love Is the Answer isn't among the pianist/keyboardist's essential releases, it isn't anything to be ashamed of either. ~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/love-is-the-answer-mw0000916894

Personnel:  Piano, Electric Piano, Producer – Lonnie Liston Smith; Backing Vocals – Butch Jackson, Cassie Hawkins, Gloria Jones, Keith Rose, Marcella Allen;  Bass – Pee Wee Ford; Congas, Bongos – Lawrence Killian; Drums – Lino Reyes; Guitar – Abdul Wali; Horns – Albert "Duke" Jones, Johnathan Lewis, Kevin Jasper, Koran Daniels, Louis P. Barbarin; Percussion – Asante; Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Dave Hubbard; Vocals – James "Crabbe" Robinson

Love Is the Answer

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Vicky Wyman - While The Music Plays On

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:07
Size: 79,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:06)  1. Mad About The Boy
(2:31)  2. Amado Mio
(4:36)  3. You Go To My Head
(3:52)  4. Harlem Nocturne
(2:34)  5. Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
(4:26)  6. While The Music Plays On
(3:46)  7. I Concentrate On You
(3:20)  8. The Rules Of The Road
(2:44)  9. You And The Night And The Music
(3:09) 10. Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars

Vicky Wyman sings contemporary jazz pop standards with power and passion updated with strains of Afro Cuban and blues. From the American songbook to Brazilian pop classics, Vicky\'s vocals smoke and soar. Vicky began in a folk duo in Pennsylvania as a teenager and quickly moved into professional theatre and cabaret in New York City. The move influenced her to look for an edgier sound she formed a rock band and her songwriting flourished. During this period she explored blues and country as well and landed gigs in top NYC venues. Her debut album Heartland was recorded in Nashville with the Grand Ole Opry band, a hybrid of country and rock. Now she is backed by Newport, Rhode Island\'s finest jazz musicians including Gray Sargent, a longtime guitarist of Tony Bennett. With While The Music Plays On, Vicky has ultimately created a masterful style that brings the story of each of these songs to life and allows its sounds and images to linger. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/vickywyman

While The Music Plays On

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Tom Grant - Delicioso

Styles: Piano, Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:09
Size: 142,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:21)  1. Luxurium
(4:18)  2. Cute New Car
(4:21)  3. Whistling In The Dark
(4:54)  4. Language of Our Own
(5:41)  5. Lizard Lounge
(5:20)  6. Delicioso
(4:35)  7. Nature Walk
(5:19)  8. The Dog Park
(3:59)  9. Escape Into Dreamland
(3:35) 10. Dancing Heart
(3:55) 11. Enamorata
(5:13) 12. Breathing In The Love
(4:38) 13. Heidi's Song

The reputation of smooth jazz went from bad to worse in the ‘90s and 2000s, and 2010 was full of forgettable, shamelessly uncreative smooth jazz CDs that did absolutely nothing to make its soiled reputation any better. But Tom Grant's self-produced Delicioso, it turns out, is among 2010's more substantial smooth jazz releases. The pianist/keyboardist (who is also heard on vibes) offers a light, commercial, gently funky blend of jazz, R&B and pop; Delicioso never pretends to be a Red Garland recording. But there is a difference between light and lightweight, and laid-back, groove-oriented offerings such as "Whistling in the Dark," "Lizard Lounge," "Cute New Car," and "Luxurium" are light rather than lightweight. The vibe that Grant seems to be going for on much of this album is something along the lines of Joe Sample, Lonnie Liston Smith, Jeff Lorber, or Rodney Franklin circa 1979-1982; Delicioso isn't in a class with Sample's Carmel or Smith's Loveland, but it isn't a bad album, either. Grant isn't afraid to stretch out and do some improvising, and his solos have more energy than one usually expects from the jazz-lite crowd. Plus, the 60-minute CD's Brazilian-flavored tunes (which include "The Dog Park" and the title song) are also easy to appreciate. It's obvious that Grant, who turned 64 in 2010, didn't want to record just another turn-your-brain-off album for smooth jazz/NAC radio programmers. That said, Delicioso does have a few throwaway tracks; the disc is slightly uneven. And even though Grant gives himself adequate solo space, he overdoes it with the electronic programming (which is fine for electronica or hip-hop, although jazz is better served by a more organic approach to producing). But all things considered, Delicioso is a decent listen and demonstrates that smooth jazz doesn't have to be total fluff. ~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/delicioso-mw0002028528

Personnel: Tom Grant - vocals, piano, vibraphone, programming; Marlon McClain - guitar; Dan Faehnle - guitar; Chance Hayden - guitar; Shelly Rudolph - vocals; Paul Mazzio - trumpet; Renato Caranto - saxophone

Delicioso

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