One of the challenges of being a mega-successful producer and artist whose talents run deeper and more diverse than what you're known for is trying to find a few spots to showcase that deeper soul in the midst of the in the pocket stuff fans and record labels expect. No surprise that
Brown's inviting his favorite musicians and fans to enter a realm called
The Funky Joint on his sixth solo CD. He's been making smooth jazz funkier and more dynamic for years, scoring over 50 number one radio hits for genre stars like
Boney James,
Euge Groove,
George Benson,
Norman Brown, and
Larry Carlton. From the mid-2000s on, he's scored his own share of solo hits as a grooving, old-school leaning electric guitarist. He lays the foundation of this infectious, well played set with crisply rendered tunes like the retro-flavored, easy grooving title track (colored beautifully by the rising sparks of the Jerry Hey horns) and the balmy meditation "Say It Like It Is." He shines an ample spotlight on some brilliant collaborators, from newcomer
Jonathan Fritzen ("Tuff Times") to saxmen
Euge Groove (who enters the party better late than never on the silky and sensual "From the Ground Up"), and
Darren Rahn (the power ballad "Ya Dig"). There's more creative jazz spark, however, on the numbers he does with
Boney James and
Marc Antoine (the
Stanley Turrentine-flavored "As Clear as Day") and keyboard legend
Bob James (whose cool runs play off
Brown's energetic strumming on "Backstage Pass"). But the emotional centerpieces that transcend all the cool funk and jazz are the tracks where
Brown digs deeper into blues and complements his guitar lines with his increasingly emotional lead vocals. "Love Don't Come EZ" tells us how to make love work, and the simmering closer "I Get a Feeling" takes the guitarist's artistry to a realm previous jazz/rock/blues efforts have paved the way for. The fact that
Brown earned a nomination for "Best Vocalist" at the 2011 Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards (where he had the chance to sit in with
Carlton) speaks volumes about his ability to create richly emotional songs in a multitude of ways. The joint is funky, but the blues is where
Brown's heart is. ~ Jonathan Widran