Customer Reviews

High Crime

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

 

 

In my opinion, the most underrated production ever done by Al Jarreau! "After all" is probably the only track to have made it alone as a single of notable success but there are plenty others here that can hold their own. From the fast and infectious "Raging Waters" to the dancy/funky "Imagination", "High Crime" and irresistible "Sticky Wicket" this is Al Jarreau at his funkiest while at the same time commanding attention to good lyrics. Catchy mid tempo tracks "Tell Me" and "Let's Pretend" are as groovy as are soulful and equally as beautiful is the reggae-tinged "Murphy's Law" featuring a memorable Flugelhorn solo by Jerry Hey. To complement "After All" in the slower section are the expressive "Love speaks louder than words" and the smokey "Fallin'". Backed by some of the top musicians/arrangers of the early 80's era such as Greg Phillinganes, Nathan East, Paul Jackson, Robbie Buchanan and Jay Graydon I shall forever treasure this because in my mind its the most comprehensive collection by Al and maybe because it has been so terribly underrated. No true Al Jarreau fan would have this missing from their set

Though this album did not contain two of his most well-known radio hits, the classics "Mornin'" and "We're In This Love Together," this album is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of songs that those two songs might have sounded more at home on. Even without them, this album contains a number of notable songs of different styles. It has the bouncy, nicely stylized "Imagination," the gritty, bopping funk number "Sticky Wicket," and the beautiful adult contemporary hit "After All" which is very stylistically similar to Mornin' and We're In This Love Together. A must for any fan of adult contemporary pop-soul.

This album displays some of Al Jarreau's best songs from the 1980s. After All, which is still played on the air, is one of those songs that you cannot get out of your head once you hear it. All of the tunes on this album are full of surprise and will get you moving.

Sometimes it takes a good digital remastering to realise how good this cd really is..the sound quality is spectacular and its Al JARREAU for god sake what more can i say...perfection...GRAB IT OR FOREVER HOLD THY MOUSE.

Interestingly, the title track "High Crime" is about divorce, yet despite the dark subject matter, none of the songs on this CD are depressing or sad. It is a great CD filled with upbeat, optimistic songs and is one of my all time favorite albums. A must have for any Al Jarreau fan.

Al Jarreau is an outstanding jazz/pop vocalist by any measure. I can't say the same for his band. Whenever his band truly compliments his virtuosity, it results in the creation of some impressive gems, the brightest of which (on this album) is "Let's Pretend". Overall, a great album because of a few gems.

I had this on cassette in the 80s. LOVED it. This is one of those rare albums in which the songs are all good and are organized in a way that they flow well from one song to the other. I thought "The Best of Al Jarreau" CD would be a suitable replacement. Although it's good, naturally it doesn't have all the songs from "High Crime," and I miss those songs. Now I need to get "High Crime" on CD.

This cd, features a slightly different sounding Al Jarreau. Which isn't a bad thing at all. "Raging Waters" 5/5 is the first track, and very good at that. It feels different from his other works. Almost has a rock vibe to it. 4:27. "Imagination" 4/5 Again, this song has a different flavor, than most of his other work, but that just shows how original he is. Like "Raging Waters" Al Jarreau co-wrote this. 4:43. "Murphy's Law" 3.8/5 I couldn't quite give this track a 4. It's a nice song, but it's not very memorable, I think it's the lryic's, cause the melody is very unique. 4:10. "Tell Me" 4.5/5 His voice sounds more like classic Jarreau, on this one. And so are the lryic's. The beat for this one is very funk. Which makes it very different from his newer works. 4:35. "After All" 5/5 This song is very good, but sounds a little out of place. After hearing a few tracks that are very different from his normal style, we suddenly get back to his usual sound. It is a beautiful ballad, with great vocals. This is also one of my favorites on the album, and is included in '96's "Best of" collection. 4:18. "High Crime" 4.5/5 This song has a fast beat, and sounds a little more like his other works. It's also the song the album is named after. It's another favorite. Great lryic's! 4:31. "Let's Pretend" 3.7/5 this song is very 80's, which isn't a bad think, it just means that the melody isn't something you'd hear nowadays. I'm not sure what I think of this song, so I gave it a very mix rating. 4:00. "Stickly Wicket" 4.5/5 Once again, the lryics and vocals are classic Jarreau, but the beat is funky dance like. It's a fun track to listen to. 4:19. "Love Speaks Louder Than Words" 5/5 More great lryic's (however none are by Jarreau himself). I like the song, and although the beat, is once agin, different, it's more jazz, than most of the other tracks. 3:56. "Fallin'" 5/5 Now this is classic! "Fallin" along with "After All" are the most like Al, and both feature the talent that his name represents. It figures he would save one of the best for last. This too, is a ballad, but has a slighty funky vibe. Al Jarreau has never made a bad album, but this one is probably the most different. It's obivious he was going for a new sound, and did pretty well. This cd, only features two slower tracks, which is unsual for him, but they're all good. It your looking for a different kind of jazz sound, get this cd. If your an Al Jarreau fan, get this cd. You'll at least like it, if you don't love it. I can't give this cd five stars, cause I don't think it's as good as "Heart's Horizon", or "L is for Lover" (among others), but it deserves more than four stars.