- Artist: Tom Randles
- Rating:
- Release Date: 2005
- Genre: Rock
Review
Smooth jazz is definitely a sore spot for many hardcore jazz enthusiasts -- and quite often, their disdain is justified. A lot of boring, uncreative drivel has come from the smooth jazz/NAC world in the '90s and 2000s -- the sort of drivel that begs the question: "Does someone who earns a living playing Muzak versions of Michael Bolton tunes really deserve to be called a jazz artist?" But that doesn't mean that pop-flavored jazz is inherently evil; truth be told, some very worthwhile, respectable music has come from folks like David Sanborn, Joe Sample, Tom Scott, Rodney Franklin, George Benson, and the late Grover Washington, Jr. Crossover jazz can have artistic merit, which guitarist Tom Randles demonstrates on Starting from Scratch. Despite some Weather Report-ish moments on "Faces in the Sand," this 47-minute CD is more crossover jazz than fusion. But it's a good crossover, and Randles' Benson-influenced chops serve him well on accessible, groove-oriented tracks like "Down with Saucy" and "Late Night Connection." Although Randles (who also plays bass, keyboards, drums, and percussion) is combining jazz, pop, and funk, this isn't an album of gutbucket soul-jazz; actually, the material tends to be reflective, understated, and even moody at times. The thing that's problematic about this 2005 release is not Randles' guitar playing or composing -- it is the fact that Starting from Scratch sounds overproduced. Randles plays all of the instruments himself, using overdubbing extensively -- and while the one-man-band approach shows him to be multi-faceted, the fact is that Randles would have been better served by a full band playing in real time. Nonetheless, Starting from Scratch has more plusses than minuses and demonstrates that pop-flavored jazz (or smooth jazz) can, in fact, have a brain. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi| Starting from Scratch (2000 Album by Kenny P.) | |
| Starting from Scratch (2006 Album by Joshua Butcher) |
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