Customer Reviews

Deep Into It

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

 

 

The content of this CD has little to do with any decline in Larry Carlton's actual work, it's just that this is Paul Brown's CD with some incidental music from Larry Carlton mixed in. The fact that occasional glimpses of the real Larry Carlton do emerge from this wash of loops, computer generated grooves, and standard Lite RnB fare is an accomplishment on his part because the project is tailored for a radio format, not for fans of the music or the artist. Especially Larry Carlton fans who cut their teeth on Steely Dan and the Crusaders and love it when he cuts loose and *plays*. But you gotta get the airplay so you can get booked for live gigs..and thats where he can step out of the Smooth Jazz Pod and become LC again. If you like the Smooth and Relaxing sound of Smooth Jazz radio, especially if you didn't listen to instrumental music before the mid 90s this will be comfortable, enjoyable fare for you. If you are a long time Carlton fan or like your music with a little life to it, save the money and use it for a ticket when he tours. I would have given it 2 stars just for the bonus track but I subtracted one for what I consider an absolute butchering of one of my favorite Eagles songs. Can't blame LC on that one..the track was already finished and given to him to do a solo on after it was done so it ain't his fault!

The elevator has arrived. Mr. Carlton's latest effort is so lackluster and unimaginative that I frankly can't believe it! He has been a wonderful player over the years and my library is full of his work. This album appears to be dedicated to the proposition that a raised pulse is risky. It is almost a forced melancholy. Riffs are dull and the whole work seems stifled by a desire to be background music to a car ad or something. What a drag!!

Ok, after reading some of the reviews here, I have a few things to get off my chest. To you guys who panned this release because Larry isn't 'shredding' like he did 15 or 20 or 25 years ago - please note that Larry is growing up, you should take notes. If you want crunchy riffs and monstrous dexterity, go see Steve Vai or Joe Satriani. Larry's playing has matured into a warm sound that envelops like a 10 year old Cabernet or the arms of a familiar lover. Guys like Peter White could take a lesson here and there. And the nicest thing is the use of all REAL instruments, no annoying drum machines.

With that said I have one beef about this release. Larry, and all other purveyors of 'smooth jazz', please take note: NO MORE COVERS, NO MORE COVERS, NO MORE COVERS. It reminds me too much of Muzak, ok? That's why you don't get 5 stars.

You have to believe me that I'm a huge Larry Carlton fan--have been since I heard him all over Steely Dan and Crusader records of the 70's. Pre-1989, Larry was my favorite guitar player in the world. I still think that the live album "Last Nite" represents some of the best guitar playing ever recorded--if you like blues/jazz, that still is THE album. Listen to that and then listen to what he's done since then. Since his tragic injury in 1988, it's been a steady decline for Larry towards the poppy, smooth (or 'tired', you choose) end of the Jazz music spectrum. And, even when he does try to make a nod to his golden days (No Substitution--Live in Osaka), it's painfully clear that he just doesn't have it anymore. He's allowed his chops to deteriorate to a mediocre level and the fire and inventiveness that marked his earlier work is all but vanished. Whether or not the bullet that almost ended Carlton's life also ended his ability to play guitar at a virtuoso level is unknown to me, I just know that it's difficult to listen to his material today without feeling at least a little nostalgia for the Larry of old.

As they say Larry Carlton is "The Musician's Musician", and his guitar work on this album is excellent as always. Personally I didn't buy it for the vocal tracks, but I never did that with any of his albums. I buy Carlton albums to hear Mr. 335 do what he does best. Play guitar.

I admit there are things on some of his albums that I don't much care for, but it certainly isn't his guitar playing. I can live without singers and and all that, but considering that only covers maybe 10% of his material, I'd say he has done considerably better than most musicians these days, who churn out album after album that have one or two good songs and the rest is just filler. And I'm being very generous calling it "filler". It's the most polite word I can think of to describe most "music" on sale today.

Carlton does it again. The veteran jazz guitarist's second release in as many years does not dissapoint. It is one of the best Jazz albums I've purchased or heard this year. This ten track CD plus one bonus track is full of gems. Especially his cover of the Eagles "I Can't Tell You Why" with R&B artist Shai doing guest vocals on the track. It is a smooth jazz version. He also covers Steve Winwood's "Roll With It". If you're a fan of Carlton, Fourplay or just jazz, check this CD out. It's Carlton at his best.

I've been a fan of Larry Carlton for quite some time, and I still listen to the "Sleepwalk" album and find it to be just as vibrant now as when it came out. Larry has always been a tasteful player but with just a bit of edge to make things interesting. This new album sounds much too carefully drawn. The guitar is too far down in the mix and Larry seems to be playing session man on his own album. The 2 selections with vocals don't really add anything for anyone looking for Larry Carlton. I hope his next album finds him reaching a bit and taking some chances.

It is unbelievable that Larry Carlton could churn out such an album that is bereft of ideas and imagination.This album has plenty of sound but no music; sort of "talk a lot but say nothing". The performance is uninspired and lifeless and the music (I mean sound) is dreadfully tedious. The only good thing that I can say about this album is that it has a great album cover and excellent sound for testing hi-fi systems. But, I'm sure we Larry carlton fans do not buy his albums for such things. If there is one Larry Carlton album that you should avoid, this is the one. I can't think of any other album he has done which is as bad as this one. If you expect some magical moments like we always use to when we listen to some of his other albums, forget it.

The next time I see Paul Brown's name on Larry's new album, I'll pass.

Listen folks. I like a good testosterone-filled riff as much as anybody, and that's not what this cd is about. But this is a great smooth jazz cd with Larry Carlton playing some very subtle jazz riffs that will knock your socks off if you listen to them. My least favorite tracks are the two covers, but this is great music to set a mellow, reflective mood. Leave your preconceptions aside and listen. You will be very pleasantly surprised.

This is a great CD with wonderful music to listen to. Larry Carlton is a very talented musician and I'll look forward to buying more of his music.