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| 4.045 Ft
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| 1. | Bring It On
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| 2. | Coming Right At Ya
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| 3. | Steppin' Out
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| 4. | She's Always There
For Lana
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| 5. | End Of The Road
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| 6. | It's The Way She Moves
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| 7. | Outer Drive
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| 8. | Still Thinkiing About You
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| 9. | Up Front
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| 10. | Way Back When
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| 11. | Lovely Day
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| 12. | End Of The Road
Reprise
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| 13. | Outer Drive
Reprise
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Jazz
Michael Manson - Bass, Piccolo Bass, Producer, Tenor Bass
Al Willis Guitar
Alex Al Bass
Calvin Rodgers Drums
Chris Miskel Programming, Drums
Craig Bauer Mixing
Cynthia Jernigan Vocals
Darren Rahn Engineer, Horn Arrangements, Saxophone, Producer, Fender Rhodes, Keyboards, Horn Section, Sax (Tenor)
Dave Kochanski Keyboards, Producer, Programming
Desmond Pringle Vocals
George Duke Piano
Gerey Johnson Guitar
Graham Ferguson Lacey Vocals
Jason Rahn Trumpet, Horn Section, Flugelhorn
Jeff Lorber Producer, Piano, Programming, Keyboards
Jerry DiMuzio Saxophone
Joey Woolfalk Guitar
John Blasucci Keyboards, Producer, Programming
Keith Henderson Guitar
Kevin Whalum Vocals
Khari Parker Drums
Kirk Whalum Saxophone
Larry Bowen Trumpet
Lenny Castro Percussion
Louie Stockwell Saxophone
Mel Brown Engineer, Bass
Michael Logan Keyboards, Fender Rhodes, Piano, Producer
Michael White Engineer, Drums
Najee Flute
Nick Colionne Guitar, Soloist
Oscar Seaton Drums
Paul Jackson, Jr. Guitar (Electric), Guitar
Paul Rayner Brown Mixing
Pharez Whitted Trumpet
Ray Fuller Guitar (Rhythm)
Rick Braun Trumpet
Roberta Thomas Vocals
Stephen Berry Trombone
Steve Weeder Mixing
Tim Gant Keyboards
Tina Brown Vocals
Tom Braxton Saxophone
The reality of the smooth jazz business in the 2000s has been that great genre veterans and solid emerging artists alike can bounce from label to label as indies open up and are shuttered no matter the number of radio hits. After a number of years as a monster sideman, inventive Chicago bassist Michael Manson struck gold in 2002 with his hit "Outer Drive"; despite solid output since then, he was on his third indie label (Nu Groove) by the time he released the solid Up Front collection in 2008. For fans who have never bought a Manson CD, it serves as a great primer for his strikingly melodic, hard-grooving, and brass-drenched funk style that allows for a lot of virtuoso playing. The opening track and first single -- helmed by genre hitmaker and saxman Darren Rahn -- is loaded with vibrant horns, a plucky, infectious, and singable bass melody, and crisp guest shots by George Duke, Lenny Castro, and Paul Jackson, Jr. How could it not be the ultimate in percussive funk? Likewise, the easy-grooving, laid-back, retro-soul vibin' "Steppin' Out" and the sensuous tribute to Manson's wife, Lana ("She's Always There"), featuring Najee, are picture-perfect urban jazz. A fine-print sticker adorning the jewel box explains away the odd mix of the other 12 tracks and addresses the unfortunate realities of the business: because 215 Records folded and his 2006 gem Just Feelin' It hadn't been available for over a year, Manson remastered five tracks from that album just so they wouldn't be forgotten. You can't beat the playful light funk spirit of "Coming Right at Ya" and easy breeze of "It's the Way That She Moves" -- but still, if you are a fan waiting for a full-scale project, this isn't quite it. Manson follows the lead of many other genre artists in the 2000s by covering a well-known pop-soul song (a nicely rendered "End of the Road") and then reminds his fans where his solo journey began with a laid-back "Chicago-style" take on his biggest hit, "Outer Drive," featuring another Chicago-based smooth jazz great, guitarist Nick Colionne. So, in essence, this label debut is something of a cool "greatest-hits" package with a bunch of kickin' new songs. With any luck -- and Manson surely deserves a few breaks with his new label -- Nu Groove might stick around long enough for him to follow this with a completely new collection the next time out. ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
Michael Manson
Active Decades: '90s and '00s
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Smooth Jazz
A native of Chicago, IL, Michael Manson took interest in the electric guitar at the age of 14. Influenced by the music of Al Jarreau and intrigued by the technique of Jarreau's bass player Abe Laboriel, Manson's love of music soon began to shift towards the bass guitar. At 15, he and a group of friends formed Togetherness, releasing an album and two singles before Manson left to join the Navy six years later. After returning to Chicago to obtain both his B.A. and Master's in Music degrees, he joined City Lights and began performing regularly on Chicago's jazz circuit. In 1999, he was invited to play the Montreux Casino Lights '99 festival. Sharing the stage with the likes of Boney James, George Duke and Kirk Whalum, he made connections that would eventually lead to a spot performing on the Montreux Jazz tour. While a performance there alongside his idol Al Jarreau could have been seen as a career-high, Manson continued to branch out, producing and writing while on tour. In September, 1999, he co-produced Brian Culbertson's "I'm Gonna Miss You" and did the string arrangements on Blaque's debut offering. In 2002, he focused on his own work, releasing The Bottom Line on A440. While the album was the first to truly showcase his talents as a songwriter and solo performer, it also contained "Seven Whole Days," a track written by esteemed R&B artist and producer Babyface.
---Don Kline, All Music Guide |
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