Doc Powell

Don't expect too many surprises from Kirk Whalum's Hymns in the Garden if you're familiar with his previous few gospel-tinged albums like Unconditional and The Gospel According to Jazz. Like those two albums, Whalum goes out of his way to invest a considerable amount of spiritual sentiment into his candy-coated crossover jazz. On this particular album, the religious overtones come via the song titles, "I Will Trust in the Lord," "Christ Is All," and "I Want Jesus to Walk With Me" being three examples.

After an almost-two-year hiatus from the charts, the Queen of Soul returned in style with three Billboard R&B Top Ten singles, including the number one smash hit "Freeway of Love," which featured a festive rhythm arrangement, an electric sax solo by Clarence Clemons, and Aretha Franklin's lively vocals. It held the number one spot for five straight weeks. The title track, "Who's Zoomin' Who," has a sputtering bassline and chiming keyboards augmented by Franklin's soulful delivery, and her improvised ad libs are laudable, to say the least. The single peaked at number two for four consecutive weeks. She had another Top Ten hit with "Another Night," a midtempo number with a light rock feel.

In 1982, Ms Franklin hooked up with Mr Soul himself, Luther Vandross, for a 2 album deal, the first instalment being "Jump to It". With legendary bassist Marcus Miller providing the rhythm section, Luther's Midas touch as producer, and Aretha on form vocally, the result was an awesome album that has stood the test of time.

The man who wrote the book on R&B/fusion returns with yet another set of what he does best. Washington's sax shares time with vocal tracks featuring the likes of Nancy Wilson, Lalah Hathaway, and the Four Tops. A solid, if predictible outing.

Toshiki Kadomatsu (角松敏生 Kadomatsu Toshiki) (born 12 August 1960) is a Japanese rock/R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and producer. He has released many studio albums, as well as several instrumental and live albums. He studied Philosophy at Nihon University. He has been active since at least 1981 and is still active, having released his most recent album in March 2012. In 1987 he released the hit instrumental album "SEA IS A LADY" which charted at #4.

Sekou Bunch is a world renowned musician and bassist. Born and raised in New York City, Sekou Bunch was exposed to the arts, virtually from the very beginning. Thirty plus years in the trenches providing the rock solid backbone for some of the brightest stars in the business; Michael Jackson, Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, George Benson, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, Roger Daltrey and Marc Anthony to name a few has provided Bunch rich opportunity to draw influence from rock, jazz and R&B.

The elegant funk pianist dresses up his elegant playing, catchy melodies and familiar funk leanings with rhythmic excursions to Latin America, Brazil and Africa. A sticker on the wrapping of the disc touts the pianist as one of the true pioneers of smooth jazz, but that tag oversimplifies his uniquely global approach.