Customer Reviews

Embrace

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

 

 

Man, it has been a while since Najee did anything and I am glad he is back. No he is not John Coltrane but he is not Kenny G either. With that being said, Embrace is just like I thought it would be: some bouncy funky tunes like Mali's Bounce, Sunshine Sometimes Rain and Vibin' with Ayers, some smooth jams like Eye 2 Eye and La Smooth (a tribute to the late great Grover Washington Jr.), and a lil Latin flavor - Movimientos with Sheila E's dad, Pete Escovedo, which also demonstrates his versatility playing the flute. I give it four stars for he still shows that he has it and when you think about it, the other smooth jazz stars such as Boney James, Jimmy Sommers, and Dave Koz owe Najee a great deal of honor and respect for it was Naj who first started using R&B singers to sing on smooth jazz records (showing my age) when it was still being called fusion back in the 80's. Right on Najee, you still sound good.

Man, this cd is good, trust me.

Najee is back, track five is great superb.

It's about time, I thought he stopped recording.

Hope to check him out on the road!

This will go down as one of Najee's best compilations. I heard him play a few cuts from this CD live while he was touring with Al Jarreau and Yolanda Adams over the summer. 1000 words are not enough to express what I NEED to say about the new release of a seasoned artist. This is a must buy, very diverse in types of jazz, it touches all bases. I recommend this CD to anyone of ANY AGE.

I listened to Najee chat with Dave Koz (saxophonist/radio host) about his latest project Embrace on 94.7 (radio) last month. He talked about the relevance to the album's title-Embrace (American's embraced each other after healing post September 2001). Embrace is Najee's first musical project on Ncoded. He also mentioned that he had been through a few music labels. In addition, he mentioned that he had worked with Prince on two of his (Prince's) albums.

I really appreciated Najee's collaboration with Roy Ayers (his jazz influence) on Vibin' with Ayers. My favorite tunes? Mali's Bounce, Eye 2 Eye, On My Way and Sunshine Sometimes Rain -who I thought featured songstress Chaka Khan when I first experienced the song. However, the featured vocalist is Robyn Springer. I liked the up-tempo tunes more. I wish there were more of them--like collaborations he has performed with other musicians. I would love to hear Najee shift gears and do more up-tempo tunes.

Najee is one of the most talented jazz musicians I know of and remains my top favorite. I remember falling in love with "Najee's Theme" back in college. His style and bouncy rhythms have kept me mesmerized for many years. His latest project, Embrace, falls short of the Najee projects that he has put together in the past. I do not think his choice of featured vocal artists punctuate the awesome jazz sound that he is capable of producing, or has produced in the past. This CD sounds more like a sophomore CD rather than the masterful art he knows he can produce. I wish he had included more featured vocal artists in this CD. Still the more I listen to the CD the more I like it. It IS CERTAINLY WORTH PURCHASING!!!

A wonderful CD. Perfect for relaxing, private times with a loved one, or just contemplation

Najee is truly a fine musician; he has a very distinctive smooth jazz sound and style of his own, both on the saxophone and on the flute, and Embrace showcases Najee's distinctive sound. There is definitely something to like here on Embrace for every listener; I find the whole CD to be very good, particularly tracks 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, and 11. No two tracks sound the same; there is definitely a variety here. Is it his best work yet? I would say not, but it is, in my opinion, just as good as his previous projects. I would have to say that Embrace is underrated; there is a lot of good music here.....definitely worth buying.

Saxophonist Najee's sexy soulful magic is enhanced with smooth jazz moods and playful embraces that invite you to just relax and melt into each note. Contemporary Jazz at its best...

~The Rebecca Review

I was really excited when I found out Najee had a new album out. I have all his CDs from "Najee's theme" to "morning tenderness". He has not really released any good album since morning tenderness back in 1998. I am a very big fan of Najee but his latest release was a disappointment. I found only 2 out of 12 tracks to be good. Only tracks 1 and 5 were good as far as I am concerned. I know this man's play very well but this was not the Najee I used to know. I thought "Tokyo blues" was bad but this latest release was abysmal. Najee really needs to work harder. I am surprised someone gave him 4 stars. Overall, do not buy this album