Patti+austin

With apologies to Dianne Reeves, Patti Austin has always quite simply been the best jack-of-all-genre singers on the planet, crossing effortlessly from jazz to pop and R&B with a voice that's so sweet, rich, and lovely, it can't help but warm the heart. On the heels of her 1988 masterpiece The Real Me, her GRP debut packs a wallop of festive up tempo tunes, lite funk pop, torchy message songs, passionate ballads, and breezy tenderness – all delivered with a truly Austin-tatious flair. Austin surrounds herself with some of pop jazz's best here, with GRP's 1990 roster well represented: Dave Grusin (whose production is flawless), Don Grusin (with whom she co-wrote the happy "Ooh Wee (The Carnival)"), Deborah Henson-Conant (whose harp adds punch to "In My Dreams"), Lee Ritenour, and Nelson Rangell (whose alto soars on the title cut).

Street of Dreams was designed as a project for Patti Austin to sing her favorite songs, regardless of genre. True, there are a couple of later songs here, usually including two co-written by Vaneese Thomas, but the heart of the album is in interpretations of "The Look of Love," "Street of Dreams," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "'Till There Was You," "I Only Have Eyes for You," "For Once in My Life," and "IGY (What a Beautiful World)." Although the arrangements can get a little too clean and synthesized (much of the album sounds as if it was recorded with DX-7s), Austin is in terrific form throughout, breathing life into songs that have been recorded numerous times. It's a fine latter-day effort from a fine singer.

Through the years, Austin has inspired songwriters with her talent and classy vocal delivery. Her latest disc, Sound Advice, affords the vocalist an opportunity to choose songs from various composers that deeply touch her in different ways. Austin’s eclectic musical taste on Sound Advice is also a special treat considering the depth of material she has covered through the years. It is only fitting that the veteran vocalist recruited some of her closest musical friends to make this mix of pop standards, classic and modern rock, adult contemporary R&B and folk ballads come alive. This stellar lineup includes Greg Phillinganes, Paul Jackson, Jr., Freddie Washington, John Robinson and Neil Stubenhaus.

Patti Austin came closest on this late-'70s live set to transferring onto vinyl the qualities that made her an outstanding vocalist outside of the studio. There's more spontaneity, emotion, and charisma in the vocals on this album than on almost all her other releases combined; perhaps the nightclub setting inspired her, or, more likely, Austin was free to sing without any agendas, marketing strategies, or producers' visions being factored into the process.

Patti Austin, a gifted singer when she gets good material, works in murky waters on this '91 release. There are so many different things offered, from fusion and pop to more mainstream jazz and soul, that the album has no main course or personality. On the other hand, Austin does sing everything well, and GRP has enlisted enough of their session pros to ensure that the musical support is excellent. It's well-played, superbly sung filler.

Originally issued in 1976, "End Of A Rainbow" was Patti's solo debut album for CTI Records. Although not a commercial success, this album was one of the first ever to be exclusively devoted to the Quiet Storm "sound" that was just-then blossoming. Patti's soulful, tender and at times wistful and melancholic vocals are nothing short of exquisite. Patti wrote all eight tracks herself and CTI boss Creed Taylor obviously spared no expenses in getting the best session players for this cult classic. Now that it's available on CD "End Of A Rainbow" definitely deserves a reappraisal.