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Everyone is grateful to have Larry Carlton among us, a gifted and imaginative guitarist who survived a gunman's bullet in 1988. Sometimes, though, we wish the old Larry Carlton were still with us, the spark-spraying fusionist whose nimble flights of fancy electrified recordings by the
Crusaders and
Steely Dan ("Kid Charlemagne" from
Royal Scam) as well his own solo works throughout the 1970s and into the mid-1980s. The appeal of the smooth-jazz gravy train has defused much of Carlton's incendiary inventiveness, a conviction reinforced by the unruffled textures etched into
Fingerprints, Carlton's 20th career recording. Those textures, though, are faithful to the album's apparent intent--to create a velvety-smooth soundtrack for late-night romance. No jarring oddities here, just sweetness and seduction throughout. Guests include smooth-jazz vets Abraham Laboriel,
Kirk Whalum on sax, Jerry Hay on horns,
Michael McDonald for a lone vocal track ("'Til I Hurt You"), and
Vince Gill, who duets transparently on "Gracias." The pick of the litter: the closing track, "Crying Hands," an expressive bit of slow-dance finesse that merits repeated listenings.
--Terry Wood
From Jazziz
'Fingerprints,' the title track of contemporary-jazz guitarist Larry Carlton's Warner Bros. CD, almost didn't make the disc at all. During the recording session, Carlton decided that one tune slated to be on the record really wasn't happening. Producer Paul Brown had another basic track with him, which he played Carlton. 'I made up the melody and came up with a hook, and we both started smiling. It was finished in an hour, and I was so glad that I had spoken up.'
--- JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.