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| 9.993 Ft
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| 1. | Out'a Nowhere
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| 2. | Together At Last
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| 3. | Paradise
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| 4. | You Make Me Feel Brand New
with Phajja |
| 5. | Celebration
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| 6. | Getting By
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| 7. | Rain
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| 8. | Never Again
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| 9. | Breaking Out
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| 10. | It's Time For Love
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| 11. | Stay Strong
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| 12. | Rain
Remix
feat. Vesta |
Jazz / Soul-Jazz; R&B; Crossover Jazz
Norman Brown (vocals, trumpet, guitar)
Phajja, Vesta Williams (vocals); Herman Jackson, Rayford Griffin (keyboards, synthesizer): David Woods (keyboards, drums); Tim Heintz, David Torkanowksy, Rick Braun (keyboards); Alex Al, Larry Kimpel (bass); Paul Brown (drums); Lenny Castro, Munyungo Jackson (percussion); Lil' John (drums); Lynne Fiddmont, Tim Ownes, Sue Ann Carwell (background vocals)
The funk-jazz guitarist's new two album deal with Warner Bros. is definite cause for the title of his label debut, Celebration. His continued growth as a writer is clear, as the hooks of all nine originals stick immediately to the ears yet offer spaces for improvisations that sometimes border on his bebop days. "Together At Last" brings both worlds together, with Brown building a strong melody by altering his Ibanez's high and low tones over a subtle, rising bed of horns before breaking for a crazy flurry of notes which jump beyond the melody. His cherished vocalese style marries perfectly with trademark warm, percolating string notes on "Out'a Nowhere," which also throws a tonal twist into the mix; he'll begin a melody line on a happy high register and then conclude it on a tone so low it sounds like a bass. One of the benefits of his crossover success is working with two of the best possible producers in smooth jazz and R&B-Paul Brown and Oji Pierce (Coolio, Montel Jordan). Paul Brown has had a tendency to make many of his cuts sound like Boney James tunes, but on his five cuts here, he simply creates an atmosphere for Brown's own style and groove to come alive. His best contribution is the dreamy vibe behind the falling drops effect of the guitar on the ballad "Rain." The guitarist rises to Pierce's challenge to grow his lead vocal chops with a lush rendition of "You Make Me Feel Brand New" that rivals the Stylistics' original. Ironically, however, some of Celebration's best produced tracks are those Norman Brown did himself; on "Breaking Out," her surrounds his galloping guitar-voice tandem with the disc's most exotic percussion and soundscaping, including hypnotic drum and cymbal flourishes by Rayford Griffin.
---Jonathan Widran, allmusic
Norman Brown
Active Decades: '80s, '90s and '00s
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Soul-Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Guitarist Norman Brown splashed into the soul-jazz scene in 1992 as a recording artist for MoJazz and quickly went on to win substantial acclaim, beginning with his award-winning second album, After the Storm. Both Gavin and Soul Train named it Jazz Album of the Year, and After the Storm remained on the charts for over two years. Suddenly critics drew comparisons to other astonishing jazz guitarists from the past such as George Benson and Wes Montgomery, and Brown became the toast of the soul-jazz crowd. Following the remarkable success of After the Storm, Brown continued to wow jazz listeners. His highly awaited follow-up, Better Days Ahead, didn't quite measure up to the brilliance of After the Storm, but it nonetheless won the 1997 American Jazz Award for contemporary guitar and the album's title track became the most-added single in NAC history until that point. Following his flurry of successes at MoJazz, Brown moved to Warner Bros. in 1999, where he began focusing on the evolution of his still-evolving career.
Born in Kansas City, Brown first became interested in the guitar at age eight, when he grew fond of his brother's acoustic six-string. He initially took much influence from such guitar-based acts as Jimi Hendrix and the Isley Brothers, but once he discovered one of his father's favorite guitarists, Wes Montgomery, everything changed. Rather than play, for instance, material by Earth, Wind & Fire in local bands, Brown began playing contemporary jazz tunes and standards. His increasing interest in jazz guitar led him to Los Angeles in the mid-'80s, where he studied formally at the Musician's Institute in Hollywood. Following his graduation, he taught briefly and signed to Motown's MoJazz label, where he recorded his first three albums, including the much-championed After the Storm album.
---Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide |
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