Crush

Crush

Richard Elliot's most anticipated record in years could be something of an enigma to his die-hard fans. There's no doubt all of them will come to the consensus that this is his most well-rounded disc in maybe a decade. But, it seems, the smooth-jazz pioneer has mellowed somewhat, as his signature aggressive growling style isn't heard until deep into the disc, on the last two tracks. One is a hot, inspired cover of Jr. Walker & the All-Stars' '60s hit, "Shotgun," which features hot guitar licks by Jeff Golub, and the other is "Sticky Wicket," a gospel-tinged funk workout produced by a member of Down to the Bone. Other tracks find the saxophonist taking a much more lyrical approach to his very big and distinct tenor sax sound, even on the other up-tempo numbers. What really makes this album work are the appearances of keyboardist-composer Jeff Lorber and the arrangements of the horn quartet that used to be known as the Seawind Horns. Both acts were playing contemporary jazz in the '70s when it was called fusion, and here they add their signatures to what many can and will argue is Elliot at his smooth-jazz best. <I>--Mark Ruffin</I>