Wish Upon a Star

A pop trumpet icon for his work with the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s, Herb Alpert has become something of a journeyman since the late 2000s. Beginning with 2009s Anything Goes, Alpert (who was 88 at the time of this recording) has released a steady mix of covers albums that showcase his warm trumpet style and storied knack for hooky, danceable melodies. He even won a Grammy for 2013s Steppin Out and picked up his 24th nomination for 2016s Human Nature. 2023s Wish Upon a Star continues this latter-career resurgence and finds Alpert offering sweetly attenuated takes on classic pop and jazz tunes. Leading off the album is his jaunty rendition of Jerry Reeds "East Bound and Down," a twangy country number best known as the theme song to the Burt Reynolds action-comedy Smokey and the Bandit. Its a tune that you could easily imagine Alpert having covered in the 70s when the film was first released and nicely evokes his classic Tijuana Brass sound. Equally inventive stylistic blends pop up throughout, including an electronic-reggae version of the standard "Angel Eyes" and a ukulele-centric, Latin jazz take on the Beatles "And I Love Her." Particularly compelling are Alperts more romantic, bossa nova-inflected moments, including his orchestral reading of "On the Street Where You Live" and his take on the Roger Nichols and Paul Williams classic "Weve Only Just Begun," the latter of which was made famous by the Carpenters and recalls the warm intimacy of Alperts own 1968 hit "This Guys in Love." The album ends with a poignant rendition of the classic Disney title track with Alperts trumpet tone as wistful as ever. ~ Matt Collar