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| 4.161 Ft
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| 1. | Feeling Good
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| 2. | Tradewinds
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| 3. | For What It's Worth
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| 4. | Good to Go
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| 5. | Shadow of the Moon
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| 6. | Cool
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| 7. | Bend or Break
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| 8. | Across the Water
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| 9. | Reach the Sky
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| 10. | Shine
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| 11. | Radiant Dreams
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Jazz / Smooth Jazz
Recorded: B Hive, Phoenix, AZ
Steve Oliver - Engineer, Guitar, Guitar Synth, Producer, Vocals
Michael Paulo - Saxophone
Gerald Veasley - Bass
Steve Madaio
Tom Schuman - Engineer, Keyboards, Mixing, Producer, Programming
Christian Poezach - Drums
Han Zermuehlen - Engineer, Keyboards, Producer, Programming
John Herrera - Drums, Engineer
Larry Antonino - Bass
Mel Brown - Bass, Engineer
Hot on the heels of his KOCH Records debut 3-D, Steve Oliver's follow-up is a mixture of uplifting tunes, amazing guitar work, infectious melodies and earthy vocals. In four short years this artist has gone from "Debut Artist of the Year" to headlining the 2005 Playboy Jazz Festival at the Rose Bowl.
With his fascinating mix of melodic guitar, driving grooves, soulful singing and infectious talents as a human drum and vocal soundscape master, Oliver is a true jack-of-all-trades in the realm of jazz music, and he shows it on this new release. "I had a platform and mindset that inspired me to create truly radiant music," says Oliver, "You listen to it, put it on and it brings you up. Adding diversity to that feeling is important, and that's why my projects always feature a mix of vocals, pop instrumentals, jazzier tunes, Latin and R&B. It's fun to mix it up, and I approached Radiant from that perspective."
Radiant thrives on the thrilling sunshine of lively, playful nylon string-driven tracks like the opener "Feeling Good"; "Tradewinds"; "Good To Go," a Latin/world music fusion explosion featuring a sizzling, full-throttle offering of Oliver's guitar, "vocalese," vocal percussion and trippy production ambience; and the brassy and bluesy, R&B flavored "Cool." Oliver's sensual and romantic side balances the party music via moody, atmospheric gems like "Shadow of The Moon" (which features Stevie Wonder's longtime trumpet player Steve Madeo), and the mystical, retro-soul flavored "Shine."
* David Wilkes - A&R
* Erick Labson - Mastering
* George Landress - Mixing
* Gisela Oliver - Executive Producer
* Michelle Lukianovich - Art Direction
* Mike Broening - Engineer, Keyboards, Mixing, Producer, Programming
* Paul Spinelli - Photography
This buoyant smooth jazz guitarist and vocalist was once described by Jazziz Magazine as having a personality that was genuinely "Disneyland all the time." Many genre greats balk at having their music called "happy jazz," but Oliver would no doubt take that as a compliment. His deepening production textures show that he can do more than simply create playful, upbeat, instantly hummable melodies, but he's always focused on making sure the listener has a great time. His second recording was called Positive Energy and the title of this disc sums up his ongoing vibe and mission even more succinctly. While his previous recordings included numerous tracks featuring "big" productions and all-star guest artists like Harvey Mason and Eric Marienthal (who both guested on his previous project, 3D), he committed this time to a slightly scaled-back approach that focuses more intimately on his guitar and voice -- which truly has the power to create a multi-layered "orchestra" all its own. Oliver brought back Spyro Gyra keyboardist Tom Schuman -- who co-produced 3D -- to co-produce the graceful and sensual "Across the Water" and the lush, inspirational closing vocal track, "Radiant Dreams," but on the other nine tracks sought the fresh perspective of co-producer, keyboardist, and programmer Michael Broening. Like Oliver's previous albums, Radiant thrives on the thrilling sunshine of lively, playful nylon string-driven tracks like the opener (whose title says it all), "Feeling Good"; "Tradewinds" (which begins in a dreamy, swaying mode before evolving into a funky jam); "Good to Go," a Latinworld music fusion explosion featuring a sizzling, full-throttle offering of Oliver's guitar, "vocalese," vocal percussion, and trippy production ambience; and the brassy and bluesy, R&B-flavored "Cool." The musician's first two recordings featured all original songs, but his success in "Oliverizing" John Lennon's "Imagine" -- which has become a popular staple of his live shows -- inspired him to rework in his own inimitable way (this time vocally) another chestnut from the same era, Stephen Stills' classic 1966 track with Buffalo Springfield, "For What It's Worth."
--- Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
Steve Oliver
Active Decades: '90s and '00s
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Smooth Jazz
Playing sideman to Rick Braun, Larry Carlton, Gato Barbieri, the Neville Brothers, and many others introduced guitarist/vocalist Steve Oliver to smooth jazz fans, but it was with Steve Reid's band that Oliver found a following. It was 1996 when Reid contacted Oliver at the last minute to fill in for a canceled opening act. Oliver hit the stage as a solo act and Reid was impressed with the guitarist's vocalese skills and summery sound (Oliver is a California native and a true follower of the laid-back lifestyle). Oliver had come to vocalese not through King Pleasure or Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, but through Bobby McFerrin and Pat Metheny's work with Richard Bona and David Blamires, who sang along with guitar solos. Being a fan of the earthy Metheny sound, Reid hired Oliver after the gig and featured him in his touring band. Reid's Mysteries and Passion in Paradise albums featured Oliver not only as guitarist but songwriter as well.
Oliver struck out on his own in 1999 with his debut, First View, released by Night Vision. The album spawned three hit singles on smooth jazz radio and earned the guitarist a Debut Artist of the Year award from Smooth Jazz News. Duties in Reid's band kept Oliver busy until 2002, when he released Positive Energy on Native Language. Spyro Gyra keyboardist Tom Schuman was in the producer's chair for Oliver's third album, 3-D, released by Koch in 2004.
--- David Jeffries, All Music Guide |
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