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For those of you less familiar with the Smooth Jazz genre, Jonathan Butler
has been a mainstay artist in this field. The unique talent of Butler is that
he is equally at home as an R&B crooner as well as a guitar extraordinaire
with his sweet yet stylistic instrumentals. Largely, his focus has been the
voice yet this time around, with the exception of two vocal tracks, Jonathan is
all about Butler the guitar man and without a doubt this is Butler’s
best to date.
Our shores were introduced to this African musician back in 1986
courtesy of Introducing Jonathan Butler. Loaded with instrumental
exercises that had the free flowing melodies similar to that of
Earl Klugh, Butler showed a greater flare but not for the sake
of showboating. Also impressive were his vocal chants that accentuated
George Benson influences. His follow up effort Jonathan Butler focused
on his vocal talents and the double album only included five instrumentals.
A fine effort, the album was a smash hit and pressed Jonathan into
the world of R&B and further away from the intriguing instrumentals
that he was effortlessly capable of creating.
With the exception of his 1990 EP Deliverance, it appeared
that his voice had become a priority over his guitar. However,
the arrival of Jonathan changes all that. Needless
to say this album exudes the exotic flavor that was present on
his early recordings and is a pure joy and pleasure to listen to.
Surprisingly, the album opens with the very safe and sanitized
Smooth Jazz exploration of “Rio”. Though it does include
a fine duet performance with trumpeter Rick Braun this particular
track is not indicative of the remaining portions of this outstanding
album. Much the same can be said for the closer “Move Me” that
features Gerald Albright on saxophone.
Otherwise, the music is less sanitized and really picks up on
the second track when our ears are introduced to the celebrative
and danceable “Mandela Bay”. The song sways like palm
trees in a soft but consistent tropical island breeze along the
coastal shores of white sands and blue seas. Much the same can
be said about the more moderately paced “Sweet Island Love” that
includes sound effects of steel drums most likely from the keyboards
of Greg Wachter.
Speaking of the keyboards, while they are not prominent, Gregs’ jazzy
yet unobtrusive piano embellishments mesh perfectly with Butlers
fluttering fingers over his frets on “Precious Things”.
Add some lush string arrangements and this interesting ballad intensifies
the romantic dynamic. While on that subject matter, there is the
soulful yet stripped down mellow magic of “For A Friend” that
will fill your heart with love. It is here that you can almost
hear Butler’s guitar weep. Equally as quixotic is the playful “Randy’s
Song” that features David Koz on saxophone. There are some
similarities in the melody of Sting’s “Fields Of Gold” and
we all know the strength of that particular composition so no more
need be said.
For those of you that truly enjoy Jonathan’s vocals, there
is the cover version of James Taylor’s “Fire And Ice” and
the enchanting “Baby Love”. Both songs remind the listen
that this perplexing singer and guitarist is equally talented in
both arenas. In fact, “Fire And Ice” has received some
significant airplay on the nations Wave stations.
For those of you seeking the crooner, the cd’s two vocal
tracks may not suffice. But if you have been waiting for Butler
to deliver a full-length album much in the style of his 1990 EP Deliverance then
this is the place to let your ears hear. Borrowing from George
Harrison, while Butler knows how to make his guitar gently weep,
he has also perfected its laugh. Gentle, joyful and optimistic, Jonathan delivers
it all. That said, Jonathan represents not only Butler’s
tour de force but, in fact, embodies one of 2005’s finest
releases.
CD available at:
amazon.com
jonathanbutler.com
rendezvousmusic.com |
