New Horizons CD Review - The Smooth Jazz Ride
The opening track, “Sunrise,” is a Hardcastle/Jazzmasters-like groove that cruises along one of our gorgeous coastlines, blissfully oblivious to anything but the tender music. The melody is tasteful, the rhythm cool and happy, the backing vocals so soothing. That’s followed by a colorful island-flavored mid-tempo track aptly titled “Take me Away.” A snappy, zesty little piece called “Diggin’ the Atmosphere” follows, with that Hardcastle vibe still intact and a hint of the British acid jazz group Shakatak’s groove, as well. Very sweet touch of flute and strings here. “A Saturday Afternoon” is up next with a high-steppin’ and bright melody and hook. This one brings an energy in its mid-tempo rhythm that is as hot and exciting as something you’d expect in a faster-paced tune. Nice piano and sax chops here, as well. The alluring backing vocals are very evident throughout this project and make it an even more refreshing piece of work. The energized cover of Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny” is impressive with solid vocals.
Taking an up-tempo turn on Latin turf, “One World” lifts the party to another plateau with smokin’ horn and percussion action, while the group gets a little bluesy with a jazzy swagger on “Thank God It’s Friday” and “God Bless the Child.” The track “From Jazz to James” does a really cool little dance with contemporary jazz that morphs into a funky little James Brown thing (including a take on the JB utterances). Talk about using your creative skills. Then comes the choir element of Airborne as it ventures into a great mix of gospel and jazz with an uplifting and rich tune called “We Are All Children of This World.”
The album culminates with the title track, a moving, poetic, reflective, multilingual track that brings to the forefront the mantra of this group: With love, we can do great things. All things are possible if we live, laugh, and love. Not only great music here, but great food for thought. An unbeatable combination
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