Customer Reviews

Kisses in the Rain

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You get the sense of which direction Kisses in the Rain is headed right away from the first track, Car Wash 2000. It's a straight up funk piece of music and shows that Braun wants to give this outing a funkier feel than his past couple of albums which leaned more in the direction of pop smooth jazz. The sound is continued throughout the album, most notably on Grover's Groove and on one of the two vocal tracks It's Your World.

The album is also a mellower affair than in the past, with more ballads like Kisses in the Rain and Middle of the Night standing out as smooth tracks that Braun's fans have come to know & love. I still say that Full Stride is his best, but if you've been a fan of Rick Braun, you will enjoy this album. And if you haven't but are looking for something with a little more spice than the average smooth jazz sound, you'll also enjoy it.

Warner Bros. gives us "smooth-grooves" featuring our favorite artist Rick Braun (flugelhorn/trumpet) - "Kisses In The Rain", many tracks composed by Rick, Paul Brown, David Woods, Johnny Britt, Roberto Vally, Leon Russell and Ricky Peterson - they become standards the more you hear them.

Of course there are stand outs - "KISSES IN THE RAIN", funky with a latin rhythmic beat, Braun is great on trumpet - featuring acoustic guitar fingering by Peter White, outstanding track..."MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT", great haunting arrangement by Paul Brown, the melody lingers and penetrates your inner-most thoughts.

Entire album is a keeper, and that "jazz-collectors" is my final answer...an awesome performance by one and all - RICK BRAUN!

Total Time: 43:21 on 10 Tracks...Warner Bros. 9 47994 2...(2001)

I'm not very impressed.

I couldn't wait to receive this latest CD, but I would have to say that I'm disappointed. He's beginning to sound more commercialized. This is very much like canned music. Don't get me wrong, there's still some of his classic style, pizzaz and upbeat rythms, but it sounds more like synthesized stuff with him in the forefront.

All in all, this was my least favorite Rick Braun CD.

As the Editorial Reviewer noted in the quote above, Braun just doesn't hit it with this one. It's not bad, but not great. If you're interested in a "brighter" Braun, try Full Stride, his previous solo disk. It's a classic

This is an album a morden jazz lover cannot miss,it really reflects to the fact that we are starting a new ara,a new century and a new millenium.
I,m sure its among the music that is going to be listened in the first half of this century.
hope everyboby would listen to these great melodies,if no chance there are still 50yrs to come because its goig to be there.

I highly recommend this CD especially to those people who are just starting out to explore the world of jazz music. This album is truly entertaining and will not bore anyone.

Honey smooth and flowing, like warm rain trickling down the face, that's the refreshing sounds this jazz trumpeter provides on this collection.

Some are his embellishment of other's compositions, particularly good here are "Song for You" and "Use Me."

His compositions along with friends are mellow typically, and fit well into the Smooth Jazz format many of us have come to enjoy and gravitate to for FM enjoyment and our own CD collections. The backup instrumentalists here are nice, particularly the guitar work done by Peter White on acoustic guitar (love the work on title track).

Have been a fan of Rick Braun for a short time, this is the best of the three cds I have.

It's sexy, it's smooth, it's funky - it's everything we love Rick Braun for. Usually I'm irritated by vocal tracks on my favorite instrumental artists' CD's, but I actually LOVE "Song for You" - it's one of my favorites, even though it's light on horn. There is not a track on this disc I don't love, not one you can keep your hips still to, not one you won't want to hear over and over. Does that mean Rick's gone a little pop here? Who cares - it's a soulful ride that shouldn't be missed!

There's nothing new here. A typical KKSF (San Francisco), KJZY (Santa Rosa,CA), WCDJ (Boston), KTWV (LA),WSJT( Tampa) type CD. Don't get me wrong. I love Smooth Jazz... for what it is. I was drawn to this CD after hearing the collabo' with Shai on one of my all-time favorite songs " A Song for You". Nice to hear Shai get some new work as their first CD back in 1992 is special to me harking back to the days when I was a freshman in college serenading their songs to the young ladies in Olivia Davidson Hall at Tuskegee University. You've no doubt heard "Car Wash 2000" on your local Clear Channel Smooth Jazz Station. Decent effort there. I also liked " Use Me". If you like Smooth Jazz, you'll like this CD... Nothing special... just another CD to add to the 300 disc player to add to your shuffle play during a BBQ party on the back deck.