Customer Reviews

Heartfelt

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been a fan of Fourplay for a long time, and have all of their releases. While Elixir is probably still my favorite, this disc comes really close to the energy and chemistry on that one. The first track is one of the highlights of the disc. It sucks you right in and sets the mood quite well. It's atypical of their previous work and sounds fresh and exploratory. The next few tracks follow the standard Fourplay time signatures and chord progressions. Then there's the obligatory vocal track - 'Let's Make Love', which could have easily been left off to increase this collection to 4 1/2 or 5 stars. Nathan should save his songwriting for a solo disc and save us the time skipping over his tracks on the Fourplay discs. Then the group collectively kick it up a notch on 'Tally Ho' and Cafe L'Amour, which are wonderful compositions, again very fresh and energized sounding. Fourplay sets the bar pretty high for a lot of the jazz pretenders out there fiddling with their programming. There's nothing like the chemistry of a group where every musician is above par and allowed to contribute their musical talents to find new heights.

12 tracks: playing time: 66:03

Somebody really cool that they respect must have gotten to these guys and said, "Enough already; just play".

A couple of the tracks still sit pretty pat in the contemporary jazz radio chair ("Let's Make Love" being the most blatant culprit here), but much of this record is simply too cool and out-of-the-norm to fall inbetween Marion Meadows and the 13th Sade song that hour on your average radio dial. There's WAY less vocal action here for once, allowing the band to really show off why getting together in the first place was such a good idea: all of these guys are legends in their own right and having them play together is asking for a great time. They seem to be reaching backwards a little, with grooves and arrangements that challenge casual listening but keep you nodding your head with the beat...like Bob James USED to do all of the time (not Grover Washington-period funky, but definitely in line with his 80s stuff before it went too soft). "Galaxia" and "Cafre L'amour" have some serious teeth.

If you miss the Yellowjackets circa 1990, or the local jazz radio station seems to run the same sax player over a Lisa Stansfield beat one too many times for your taste anymore, get this record. It's sharp as a tack and I'm sure will make some long-standing fans turn their heads a little, but will recover longtime fans of the players who wrote this group off about album #3 or so.

I'm still on Cloud 9 after seeing them perform live at the Mountain Winery. Their performance of Tally Ho convinced me once and for all that "Heartfelt" is their best effort to date. I received Heartfelt right after its release and have not been able to stop listening to it. The entire CD is great and has something to appeal to all tastes. There's even a bluesy tune, "Ju-Ju", to appeal to Larry's fans. Complementing the incredibly great musicianship displayed on this CD is a fantastic production, reminescent of Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature". In summary, Fourplay has finally been allowed to let loose and show their stuff. I would be surprised if this effort is not a Grammy winner.

I've just recently bought this cd and i absolutely love it. Bob, Nathan, Larry and Harvey play together very well and you can tell that the all the music blends in together. For instance take Larry's Guitar playing, He is absolutely marvelous, the nice soft upbeat strumming of each string just makes you wanna buy his solo albums which are very hard to find. And Bob's Piano playing, his hands joyfully dancing on the keys. Nathan's soft quiet Bass in the backround and Harvey's mellow drumming. You can tell that these band members get along very well. Just look at their smiling faces on the cover of the album. These guys are at peace with themselves and each other. They really like what they do. The only song I have issues with is track 5 "Lets Make Love" That song was so out of place it aint even funny. Did we really need Babyface's vocals on that song? i think it could've been a lot better if he wasn't singing. So buyers if you are considering buying this album. Skip Track 5

I got into Fourplay when their first album came out. At that time Lee Ritenour was the guitarist. I really loved the way Rit's sound fit into the band. He and Bob James really seem to be on the same wavelength. I have always been a big Bob James fan as well.

When Ritenour was replaced by Larry Carlton I felt that Carlton's didn't fit as well with the band. But this album features some great music and Carlton seems to fit better into the groove on this CD and offers up some really nice acoustic work. I say this despite my personal disdain for Mr. Carlton as he egotistically refused to sign an autograph on one of his CD's at a show in New York in '97 or so. I mean, he's standing right there doing nothing, here's a long time fan that has bought all his stuff not to mention paid a bunch of money to see the live show...c'mon.

Anyway, this is a great CD.

Although I consider Fourplay one of my favorite contemporary jazz groups, I somewhat lost interest in their new releases after Lee left (don't get me wrong, I enjoy Larry's work.) 'Heartfelt' has renewed my excitement for the group and I would again love to see them live in concert. Many of the songs in 'Heartfelt' are playful with punchy beats and baselines. The group plays well as a team without one member standing out too much. It's also good to hear Nathan's trademark bass vocals in several of the tracks...why doesn't this amazing bassist record more solo work? I agree with the other commentor that the Babyface tune seems a bit out of place (though nice)...probably just a marketing tactic (or contract requirement?) to expand the customer base.
If you loved Fourplay's earlier work, please give this one a try.

I think the even the devoted jazz fan should be forgiven if he confuses HEARTFELT with a more recent Bob James solo CD or even (at times) a Larry Carlton project. Most of us hardly think this is a bad thing. Both James and Carlton have such distinctive voices that that it is not surprising their presence can overwhelm any standard quartet arrangement. In the particular case of this CD, I challenge anyone to play HEARTFELT next to James' MORNING NOON & NIGHT and tell which is which in a blindfold test. Unless you can detect Carlton's playing in the mix, you can't.

To a large degree, this is like the similarity between a Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers CD and a Tom Petty solo project. Aside from the shuffle of backup players, we're talking pretty much about the same thing. This dominance of one player is constantly contradicted by the obvious camaraderie among the members of Fourplay. With Carlton replacing Lee Ritenour a couple of albums and several tours ago, it is safe to say he is fully integrated with the group. Perhaps this accounts for the amplified "fire" in the playing for HEARTFELT. But for my money this is still Bob James band.

All that having been said, Fourplay are (without much fanfare) moving away from the glossy "smooth jazz" sound that found its commercial market way back in the 1980's. That formula paid a lot of bills and sustained a boatload of careers; but there is a huge "been there done that" albatross hanging around the format. Listeners who have been with the format from the beginning are moving on. The musicians themselves are either retiring or itching to go to a new level. Better than most, Fourplay are well respected enough within and outside the "soft jazz" design that they can stretch themselves. It also doesn't hurt they have a solid and loyal fan base.

The first four pieces kick off the CD with promising assured confidence and inventiveness. "Galaxia" is a little mysterious while "That's The Time" is quietly busy and hinting at something sneaky. "Break It Out" And "Rollin'" both hit their own funky grooves and ride them out. Unfortunately, "Let's Make Love" with Babyface disrupts the flow. Like most other reviewers, I consider "Let's Make Love" is out of place here. Perhaps, the members of Fourplay thought they just couldn't totally break free of the old format altogether; but even so it is pretty much a below average song for Babyface.

"Heartfelt" returns to form and is more meditative and reflective than any of the previous cuts. The general tone of the piece reveals it is a remembrance rather than a present tense avowal of sentiment. "Tally Ho" is one of the strongest cuts on the album-just behind "Galaxia" overall. In contrast to the rest of HEARTFELT, "Tally Ho" is an openly joyful number one imagines an uncomplicated pleasure in driving home from a good day at work. "Café L'Amour" affects a slow, smoldering undercurrent of one casting his/her romantic enchantment on another. "Ju Ju" meanders and threatens like a witch doctor wordlessly passing by. "Going Back Home" is a semi-vocal number that is surprisingly sinister. "Karma" is playful in an understated way and ""Making Up" is a slow, romantic, longing closer to one of Fourplay's better efforts.

Some speculate that Fourplay's freedom from their old record company has allowed them to be more daring with a wider range of moods. I don't know about that. What is certain is that the usual suspects will still be dissatisfied that Fourplay has not moved even farther than they have. Equally certain is that the loyalty of Fourplay's fans is amply rewarded here.

Recently saw the group in town, They rocked the house!! I prefer Lee R. is a lot smoother than Larry who is every bit soulful with a touch of blues! Good to see them back on track.

This new release of Fourplay is their best album since the first one, ten years ago. I called this "optimistic jazz", because keep you in a good mood while you listening the solid performance of these four gentlemen of the jazz. I strongly recomended this one.

As wonderful and as seductive as contemporary polished jazz can be, it's often pretty slight and forgettable. That's definitely not the case with this album. With Heartfelt, Fourplay has not only broken away from the Warner label for Bluebird, but has ripped free from their increasingly conservative template of delivering smooth, romantic jazz in exchange for a much more experimental - and satisfactory - undertaking. From the opening overdriven guitar lick and entrancing piano melody of the ethereal, longing "Galaxia," the restrictive label of "smooth jazz" is immediately tossed out the window. The LP quickly then shifts into the epic "That's the Time," by contrast a tightly-constructed and pulsating piece projected by a beautiful interchange of rhythm and melody phrasing that leaves nothing to be desired. For the most part, the rest of Heartfelt delightfully backs these two pieces up with justice - the snarl of "Cafe l'Amour," the bright catchiness of "Karma," and the downright classic jazz traditionalism of "Tally Ho!" open up a lot of room for soloing - which Yes, Please lacked - and exploration for each virtuoso. Essentially, these pieces stand out with their unique and memorable melodies and original production. It's not the perfect record, but it does stand a head above the rest of the industry's production because of its musical strength and artistic earnestness.