Customer Reviews

Cruisin

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have all of Marc's CDs. This one is the best he has yet to produce. Yes, he brings in a new sound, yet it is distinctively Marc. He maintains his international sound while bringing a crisp new melody to his work. Perfect for watching the sunset while sipping a margarita and puffing on an excellent cigar!
I saw Marc live in Walnut Creek, CA this summer - he puts on a great show! If you ever get a chance to see him, do it. I smile every time I hear his music.

I didn't like the whole CD the first time I listened to it, and I actually bought it because I liked track 7 (indian summer). But then, everytime I listen to it, I like it even more. And now, I like track 1,3,7 and almost all the rest. So just be patient with it and you will love it. One tip for this album is to listen to it in your personal cd player while you are working out or jogging, it will give you the energy!

Cruisin' envelops the listener in the cool, tropical breeze of an exotic paradise as Marc takes the listener on an auditory journey that showcases his love for Latin and European music. To listen to Cruisin' is much like being on vacation on a sunset island beach, discovering a vista where Marc's guitar describes the sights and sounds in beautiful detail. His melodies are warm, soothing, and dreamy, as on 'Sierra Bella', 'On the Strip', and 'Indian Summer', while others such as 'Mas Que Nada', Cruisin', and 'Fuego' really fuel and refresh the soul, exhilarate, and balance out the mood. Cruisin' is more than music: It's a personal experience. Marc, thank YOU for sharing your personal best with your fans and as always for successfully transcending all barriers through your music. Thank-you so much for the mention on your liner notes. I am humbled and deeply honored to be your #1 fan por siempre!

I first heard Marc Antoine in the Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards Collection, and I was hooked! I have been listening to him ever since. His rhythms roll through the mind with all the imagistic power of great poetry. One cannot help but shut out the world, close his or her eyes, and let Antoine's guitar flow...

I have all but one Marc Antoine CD (Madrid) and up until now, I really enjoyed his music. His newest CD, Cruisin', is by far his greatest, in my opinion. You'll love the opening tune "Mas Que Nada" which is attributed to Brazilian folk (although the title is in Spanish not Portuguese...[Why not "Mais que nada???"]). "On the Strip" is probably my favorite tune on the CD; and I never tire from hearing it. Bassists will enjoy the Stu Hamm-style triple popping on "On the Strip". The rest of the album is worthy of air-time, whereas Antoine's last CD, "Universal Language" was a bit too eclectic in my opinion for open radio time. I also like the drummer's style on this CD more than the other CDs Antoine has produced. The title track is another excellent masterpiece sure to be on any future "greatest hits" CDs that Marc puts out; very clean and bright. Excellent work!

The only drawback is that total playing time for the entire CD is about 45 minutes... what gives, Marc???

This album would also work for former rockers looking to get into smooth jazz (see also Craig Chaquiço and Peter White CDs).

I've enjoyed all of Marc Antoine's albums to date, but none more than "Cruisin'". Soft, warm, romantic smooth jazz acoustic guitar with Latin overtones, beautifully performed with feeling. "Cruisin'" is a perfect title for this collection because cruisin' through a sweet summer groove is the feeling I get every time I play this CD. Additional production elements including strings, percussion, and keyboards nicely complement Marc's guitar without overwhelming it.

Every time this CD gets played I like the tracks more, all are excellent. The CD has a slightly different feel to it than his previous releases, probably due to the greater use of live musicians. The title track 'Crusin' has the familiar Marc Antoine sound and it will be a clear favourite for the radio, but there is also plenty of variety here. The excellent 'Fuego' is on the Jazzier side of smooth. 'Indian Summer', with it's retro sounding keyboard & smooth vocals, is one for those chilled out moments. Another excellent track with slightly retro sounding keyboard is On 'The Strip'. Keyboards have been used to great effect through out this CD and they have complimented Marc Guitar playing well. I rate this CD as equal to Marc's excellent previous releases but the style is perhaps a little less innovative than his last CD, Universal Language.

The song "Mas Que Nada" is mispelled in the editorial review as "Más que Nada". The actual name is "Mas que Nada", without the acute accent, it's Portuguese, not Spanish (as a reviewer suggested), and it's an expression that means something like "no way!!!". The lyrics goes like: "Mas que nada, sai da minha frente que eu quero passar, pois o samba está animado, o que eu quero é sambar", which translates to: "No way!! Get out of my way, I want to pass through, cause this samba party is hot, all I want is to dance the samba". The song was composed by Jorge Ben (he changed his name to Jorge Benjor years later), one of the most well known artists in Brazil, although the song was made famous in the U.S.A. by Sergio Mendes.

The difficulty that I have with this album is that Marc Antoine can't yet sustain an album of his own material. By and large there is too little variation in his self-written material, and the other compositions that he imports tend to be stronger.Undoubtedly there will be a track that Smooth Jazz stations will pick up on ("Caribbean Morning" perhaps), but the album as a whole is disappointing. The basic group work hard to add variety, Ricky Peterson provides some excellent keyboard work and Luis Conte, ever present on percussion, adds texture. The really strong tracks ( apart from the aforementioned "Caribbean Morning") are Philippe Saisse's "Sierra Bella" which provides Saisse himself with a chance to add his distinctive acoustic piano sound. "Indian Summer" is excellent and has the advantage of Michael Davis on trombone (but conversely some awful scat singing as well)."Primo" by David Woods also offers an alternative attempt to build a different sound.However,overall, this is a disappointing outing from an artist who clearly has so much to offer.

Bottom-Line: While I like the light production flow of "Cruisin'" the album lacks the energy and verve to make it one of my favorite Antoine offerings.

My journey through the mind and music of French born guitarist, composer, and producer Mac Antoine continues with his superb 2001 release Cruisin', which I have to admit I did not take an immediate liking to, but which grew on my in time. Cruisin' is Antoine's forth release on the GRP label. While I was used to a more upbeat tempo Antoine, based on past recordings, Cruisin' had a decidedly laidback feel to the music. The Latin backbeat is still a vibrant part of the rhythm, but other more worldly influences are missing from this body of music.

The title of the album is meant to convey the laid-back global nature of the CD. Whereas earlier Antoine albums seem to travel the world in search of an eclectic blend of harmonious world musical interplay, Cruisin' is content to stay with the confines of the artists French and Spanish roots with little deviance. The result is less aggressive sound that would (regrettably) be right home is any elevator in downtown Chicago. Its not that the music is unpleasant, it that it lacks the energy I am used to from Antoine, and so at first the CD with the exception of the first track Mas Que Nada, quite frankly bored me. But after subsequent run-throughs I came to enjoy the album a little more, and now whenever I want to relax and unwind, or I need pleasant background music this is the CD I turn to.

On Cruisin' Antoine went old-school and recorded the album live-in-the-studio with a handful of his favorite musicians. Once again Antoine does the drum programming, and plays the keyboards and rhythm guitar, but unlike earlier offerings, he did not produce the CD. However, he once again surrounds himself with a mixture of very talented musicians, including: vocalist Patti Austin, pianist Ricky Peterson, bassist Dave Carpenter, Lil' John Roberts, and Peter Erskine on drums and percussionist Luis Conte.

Said Antoine of Cruisin' "[T]his time wasn't about a fancy production style, but simply to get great players together and bring these songs to life simply and directly...I aimed in a different direction on Universal Language, and went a bit wild and European. It was more of an exploration for me."

Although Antoine turned over the production reins to Tommy LiPuma this time around, he still wrote most of the songs on the CD, including the title track Cruisin.' By today's standards Cruisin' is not a long album checking in with just nine tracks, but most of these are long playing out at an average 4:00 minutes. Of those my two favorites are track no. 1 Mas Que Nada, a smooth-jazz rendition of a Brazilian standard, and track No. 9 Guego. Both songs crackled with energy, and the later track had a live performance edge to the song that was hard to resist, while Mas Que Nada features beautiful wordless vocals from Patti Austin.

While I like the light production flow of Cruisin' the album lacks the energy and verve to make it one of my favorite Antoine offerings. But of course the kind of slow melodic tunes that Cruisin' brings to the table might be just what the doctor ordered fro some, especially in am American society increasingly living on the edge of reason.