University Of Calypso

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 01:07:04
Personnel: Darlo Eskenazl, Dario Eskenazi (piano); Gregory Jones (bass instrument, bass guitar); Mark Walker (drums); Andy Narell (steel pan); Relator (vocals, guitar); Marco Araya-Correa (cuatro); Paquito D'Rivera (clarinet, alto saxophone); Pedro Martinez (congas, bongos, timbales); Inor Sotolongo (percussion). Audio Mixers: Andy Narell; Philippe Avril. It isn't hard to figure out why pianist/keyboardist/vocalist Joe McBride decided to call this 2009 release LOOKIN' FOR A CHANGE. On most of his albums, McBride has functioned as a soul-jazz/smooth jazz instrumentalist who occasionally sings. But there are no instrumentals on LOOKIN' FOR A CHANGE; McBride sings on all of the tracks, favoring a gritty yet sophisticated vocal style that is greatly influenced by George Benson but also contains hints of Al Jarreau. If McBride wanted a change, he got one--and the interesting thing is that while LOOKIN' FOR A CHANGE is less produced and more acoustic-oriented than McBride's albums typically are, it is also his most R&B-oriented effort. LOOKIN' FOR A CHANGE isn't jazz with R&B elements; it is really vocal R&B with jazz overtones. McBride soars as a vocalist on his own material as well as on intriguing arrangements of Vanessa Carlton's "1000 Miles," Cameo's "Word Up," and Seal's "Kiss from a Rose." The Missouri native has no problem taking "1000 Miles" out of adult alternative and making it sound like something he heard on one of Benson's R&B vocal albums of the '80s, and his interpretation of "Word Up" is funky but in a much more bluesy and low-key way than Cameo's original 1986 version. Some of McBride's albums have been uneven, but there are no weak moments on LOOKIN' FOR A CHANGE--which turns out to be one of the most consistent releases in his catalog.