Paul Hardcastle - Chill Lounge, Vol. 1 Audio CD

Given the widespread critical acclaim and commercial success Brian Culbertson garnered from 2008's retro Bringing Back the Funk, it would be understandably tempting for him -- or any musician -- to revisit it wholesale. However, Culbertson throws a changeup on XII and comes up with a set of collaborative originals with stellar ...

It would be incorrect to say that not much has changed Fourplay's sound since they began recording together in 1991. That said, while these musicians -- who were all successful artists individually -- have continued to evolve, as a group they've stayed remarkably focused on what they do best: play elegant, seamless, contemporary jazz ...

Chill Lounge, Vol. 1 music CDs Paul Hardcastle's Jazzmasters series reaches its sixth installment with this cool, rhythmic, jazzy collection, which is similar to its five predecessors. The album cover shows a sun setting over water, and that's a good indication that the music is intended to serve as the background to a tropic vacation, or perhaps to a depiction ...

Chill Lounge, Vol. 1 album The first couple of albums by saxophonist Euge Groove (aka Steven Eugene Grove) made Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. His sixth album, Sunday Morning, was listed in the magazine's Jazz Albums chart, and that shift in category doesn't only reflect a blurring in the distinction between "contemporary" and traditional jazz. Groove hasn't become ...

Chill Lounge, Vol. 1 songs Continuing to alternate between his various different guises, Hardcastle 6 is the third album in as many years from jazz-funk pioneer Paul Hardcastle, following 2009's regular solo effort, Zero One, and 2010's sixth installment of the Jazzmasters series. Like the latter, these 13 tracks focus on a low-key urban jazz-pop sound equally suited to ...

Chill Lounge, Vol. 1 CD music On Dreams, Brian Culbertson attempts to dig further into the vein he opened on 2010's XII, where he seamlessly married adult-oriented R&B to contemporary jazz. In fact, Dreams feels like a bookend of sorts. He employs an alternating cast of studio aces who include Alex Al, John "Jubu" Smith, Eric Marienthal, Michael Stever, Ray Parker, Jr., Rex ...