Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:25
Size: 100,2 MB
Art: Front
(3:54) 1. Can't Help Myself
(4:07) 2. In the Moment (feat. Julian Vaughn)
(4:23) 3. So Into You
(3:42) 4. Off the Cuff (feat. Nils & Nate Harasim)
(4:06) 5. All My Life (feat. Jalen Seawright)
(3:34) 6. Saturday Afternoon (feat. Matt Godina)
(4:44) 7. It's On (feat. Paul Brown)
(3:55) 8. Come a Little Closer
(4:52) 9. Lovely (feat. Kevin)
(3:47) 10. Wait Awhile
(2:16) 11. Dreaming of You
Soulful, fresh, and catchy saxophone-led smooth jazz. Featuring appearances by Paul Brown, Julian Vaughn, Nils, Nate Harasim and others, Can't Help Myself will have you humming along and grooving from start to finish!
Greg Chambers is no longer a newbie, he is a rising star! Contemporary instrumental music (formerly known as smooth jazz) has taken a beating over the last five years. A tightly clustered pack of musicians whose differences are measured by the thickness of a sheet of paper are now being forced to dig just a tad deeper in their harmonic arsenal thanks to stellar talent such as Greg Chambers. An independent artist with some dynamite guest shots from Nate Harasim, Paul Brown and Matt Godina makes a bold statement that sometimes just being yourself is the best artistic statement one could make. Nate Harasim handles the mixing duties while Paul Brown is featured on It's On. While vocals on most releases that walk the smoother side of the jazz street are basically R&B cast offs looking for crossover gold, All My Life and Lovely are solid. Respectively, Jalen Seawright and Kevin Lewis are talent to keep an eye on with both tunes having more than ample opportunity to cross over on a variety of platform play lists. Bassist Julian Vaughn and six string ace Matt Godina add depth and flavor to a release that is a showcase for the exponential growth of Greg Chambers. Far more than pretty melodies, Greg Chambers is a lyrically driven artist that is now separating himself from the pack. A dynamic tone and the ability to compose a tune that has this artist opening for some major league talent, Greg Chambers is the new hot ticket for contemporary instrumental music! There are major label artists not making music this well! ~ Brent Black, Critical Jazz
Saxophonist Greg Chambers has been enjoying what must be a most satisfying high for him as he splits his time between making solid-grooved contemporary jazz music as a solo artist and serving as a private woodwind instructor in the San Francisco Bay area. Having worked with symphonies and orchestras as a classical saxophonist, Chambers seems to keep quite busy. His dedication to the smooth jazz genre is commendable in light of all of his other activities. As evidence of that commitment, he now steps out again with another pleasing project called Can't Help Myself. Remaining true to a cool, fluid style that plays well in the smooth jazz community, the album contains an abundance of tasteful grooves including but not limited to the up-tempo lead and title track, an equally movin and shakin track two entitled In The Moment (an apropos title as I m sure that is exactly where he was as he co-penned this one with multi-instrumentalist Matt Godina), the smooth and steady dancer So Into You, a laid-back and sexy It s On, an effective and soulful cover of K-Ci & JoJo s All My Life, and a cozy soprano sax presence found on the mid-tempo Saturday Afternoon. The saxman is joined here by some well-known and admired artists in the biz, namely guitarist/producer Paul Brown (who will be releasing his own impressive project shortly), the personable and talented keyboardist/producer Nate Harasim, funky guitarist Nils, and the always-on bassist Julian Vaughn. In addition to the beckon of Chambers' sax, I must say that the backing keys/piano, guitar, and strings work on several of the slower, romantic tracks (e.g., Come a Little Closer, Lovely, and the riveting finale sans drums or percussion, Dreaming of You) are simply more than worthy of a listen. Add to that the wonderful vocals found on the previously mentioned Lovely and provided by Kevin Lewis, and you've got a project that carries a lot of the confident stride of a well-produced effort. In a nutshell, Chambers, having established that he has a firm handle on the nuances, flavors, and soul of this music, has again accomplished his goal to satisfy. ~ Ronald Jackson, Smooth Jazz Ride
Smooth Jazz Therapy has been following the fortunes of sax-man Greg Chambers since 2007 and the release of his debut recording City Lights . At the time I described it as an album different enough to get him noticed and then delighted in watching his musical progression as, first with his 2011 self-titled follow up and again with the seven-track 2013 EP After Hours, he proceeded to carve out his own musical identity. Now this progression continues with the sparkling Can't Help Myself . Not only is it his most commercial to date but is also a wonderful showcase for his combined talents as songwriter, producer and performer. No doubt about it, Can't Help Myself is the real smooth jazz deal and, with input from the likes of Paul Brown, Nate Harasim, Nils and Julian Vaughn, is a timely reminder of how good contemporary jazz can be when done this well. Talking of doing things well, the CD opens with the fabulously zesty title cut that benefits from input from co-writer Harasim on keys. He stays around to lend a hand with the mid-tempo Off The Cuff that includes a nice interjection of guitar from Nils and is another of three songs he co-writes with Chambers. In fact Chambers writes or co-writes nine of the eleven choice tunes, five of them with guitarist and keyboard player Matt Godina. On this showing Chambers and Godina are establishing themselves as one of the genre s most formidable song writing partnerships and a case in point is the languid It's On for which Paul Brown guests on guitar. Just as good is the infectiously up-tempo In The Moment (featuring bass guitar from rising star Julian Vaughn) while another Chambers-Godina number is the immensely feel-good So Into You that is arguably amongst the best that Can't Help Myself has to offer. That said, they prove themselves to be equally adept when easing things down and they do just that, first with the super sultry Come A Little Closer and again for the similarly disposed Wait Awhile that just tips the scales as Smooth Jazz Therapy top track. Elsewhere Godina takes the lead on guitar for the relaxed groove of Saturday Afternoon and although Chambers closes out the collection with the romantically inclined Dreaming Of You he slips effortlessly into urban jazz territory for a sensational take on the Boyz II Men smash Lovely where vocals from Kevin Lewis really hit the spot and bass from the always excellent Roberto Vally provides the perfect anchor.
The album s other cover is All My Life that was a hit for R & B duo K-Ci & JoJo but which here is given a lighter, more angelic touch courtesy of vocals of Jalen Seawright. It is a brilliant example of the light and shade that Chambers has crammed into Can't Help Myself and another reason, among many, why you should make it part of your collection. ~ Denis Poole, Smooth Jazz Therapy https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Help-Myself-Greg-Chambers/dp/B00LOZCWIS
Can't Help Myself
