Customer Reviews

A Family Affair

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a wonderful album mixing contemporary jazz and r&b. Two of the tracks are vocals, featuring two great R&B vocalists. Will Downing sings on "A Dream of You" and Vesta sings on "...Or So you Thought". Most of the tracks are originals, but there are a few r&b tracks, including a Stevie Wonder song that are given the jazz treatment. The first track "I'm Coming Home" is my favourite. It's got a great party atmosphere about it and you can't help but groove along. But the whole cd is excellent and I highly recommend it.

Ever since hearing Christian and his trio live in LA one night soon after he was "on his own," I've followed him closely. He's a great bassist, great straight-ahead jazzman, and a guy with a real musical feel (composing as well as playing numerous jazz styles). But I love this album because (1) it is so funky (Christian's an EW&F and James Brown fan), and (2) the variety of the album-a couple great vocal numbers (w/soloists) are included with the funky stuff. He's proven himself with the jazz world, and this album is just plain fun to listen to, regardless of your jazz preference.

When I bought this CD i thought it was ok because I really wasn't a jazz nut at the time but it really started to grow on me and really turned me onto jazz (traditional). "Waynes World" is a trully great impov. tune, even Miles Davis would be proud, while "Summer Soft" shows his jaco-esque type playing and "I'll write a song for you" showcases his talent for writing a beautiful song. This is one on my all time favorite albums. Thank you Christian McBride for changing my life.

Christian is definitely an up and coming bassist. He already plays with great maturity and a great sound as you can hear on this album. He plays many different styles and ends with a beautiful acoustic duet entitled, "I'll Write a Song For You". Gregory Hutchison also lays down the beat very well as drummer in every style played.

I heard this project when it first came out and still love it today!
Christian is the best bassist out there. Pianist Charles Craig is great. I love his style, especially on "That Jazz Thing". Will Downing and Vesta are terrific vocalists. I did not know much about them at the time, but have since bought some of their other works. I heard Christian perform live on BET. He pulls you into the music. Great CD to have when entertaining with friends and family.

Christian McBride as a bassist takes a back seat to nobody, including Ray Brown (to whom he includes a tribute on this album), Ron Carter, or even Jaco Pastorius.
The first track on the album, "I'm coming Home," is by far the most enjoyable. In R & B style, it features mainly tenor sax man Tim Warfield and eclipses 98% of everything I've heard in this style before. Not to say that Warfield impresses with pyrotechnics on this cut (as he does elsewhere), but the happy invitation to dancers to get out on the floor is irresistable. McBride's bass solo may be the best one using a bow that I've ever heard.
If all tracks on this CD were as fun as the first, the album would easily rate five stars. But I was not as disappointed with the rest of the CD as I was afraid I'd be. The title tune, third in order, was nice, and some of the other cuts were enjoyable, including the Will Downing vocal. Though he mostly sings ballads and is often heard on the so-called "smooth jazz" stations (which play too much music that isn't jazz at all), Downing's style is distinctive enough and his vocal work impressive enough to qualify him as a bonafide jazz singer.
Those hoping to hear George Clinton- or Bootsie Collins-style funk may be a bit disappointed, but if you can just take the "funk" cuts as they are, they are enjoyable enough. My biggest diappointment was with a couple of slow, backgroundy-sounding cuts that would fit right in on a "smooth jazz" station.
Overall, this is a good "starter CD" for those just getting into REAL contemporary jazz, as it features a diversity of modern styles.

Christian McBride proves once again that he is tremendous talent in the contemporary jazz world, demonstrating a great deal of technical virtuostiy and harmonic maturity on his third outing, "A Family Affair." The first track, the strongest on the record, swings hard, featuring thoughtful solos from all. It is unfortunate that this level of tastefulness does not persist throughout, however, for McBride's effort to move into a funk styling proves fatal. Why is it the fate of so many virtuosic bassists to embrace the "cheese factor?" I'd love for some one to explain this interesting phenomenon, as I am dumbfounded. Please give these guys a record by The Meters or The J.B.s . I'm sorry, but a wah pedal and a rehashed neo-soul drum groove just doesn't make good funk. McBride obviously knows his fusion and bop and is certainly an inspirational improviser. What he lacks is that certain greasy effe uuuu ennnnneeee kkkkkaaaaaaay...FUNK brotha...

I like this album best of all..the vocalists Vesta and Will Downing(never heard of them) really complement his music. Some of his albums are almost too lowkey for a guy who has tremendous rhythm and spirit...and huge talent.

It is a great slow and moderated speed jazz album, but I'm really into faster music. Being a bassist, I can say that Christian McBride is a very talented musician, and he has produced a great CD.