Rural Renewal

The Crusaders | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 4, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Verve
• ASIN: B00008ADQJ
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,340 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Rural Renewal

2. Creepin'

3. Heartland

4. A Healing Comin' On

5. Sing The Song

6. Shotgun House Groove

7. The Territory

8. Greasy Spoon

9. Viva De Funk

10. Lazy Sundays

11. Goin' Home

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

From the 1960s to the '80s, the Crusaders--pianist Joe Sample, saxophonist Wilton Felder, drummer Stix Hooper, and trombonist Wayne Henderson--were a triple threat, with their Texas-based blend of jazz, R&B, and soul. Before they broke up, they produced a string of hits, including "Street Life" with Randy Crawford. This CD marks their long-awaited reunion, with their producer Stewart Levine and trombonist Steve Baxter filling in for Henderson. The recording is a back-to-basics project featuring the group's Houston-honed swing. Imagine Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with an R&B edge and you'll get this ensemble's grand grooves. Legendary rocker Eric Clapton lends his acoustic and electric guitar licks to the title track and on the funky "Creepin'." Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin and Sounds of Blackness lay down their God-gifted vocals on the inspiring "A Healing Coming On" and "Sing the Song." Some Tex-Mex flavored Latin jazz is delivered on "Viva de Funk." This date shows that these life-long friends can swing in all idioms. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should own this record, May 8, 2003

By 

Jan P. Dennis "Longboard jazzer" (Monument, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rural Renewal (Audio CD)

I know virtually nothing about the Crusaders. Their kind of music--ultra-sophisticated, roots-based jazz-funk--has fallen outside my musical experience.

My loss.

Let me come straight out and say it. This is one of the most accomplished and satisfying discs I have ever encountered. There's this deep groove coming from some authentic place--Texas, I learned, since I became interested in this group. This is not the kind of music that can be mass produced, predicted, or even successfully copied. It has its own inherent, uncompromising authenticity and authority.

How can it be so precise without being slick? So soulful without being cliché? So sophisticated yet completely natural? I'll tell you. A lifetime of commitment combined with pure genius and musical telepathy set loose, UNLEASHED, given free rein.

Fundamentally, a project like this gains nothing by heavy-duty analysis, so I'm going to quit while I'm ahead. Trust me on this: Just buy it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rural Renewal - The Crusaders are back!, March 4, 2003

By 

John E. Carlson "jec" (Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rural Renewal (Audio CD)

I was surprised to discover the Crusaders are back together on this CD - Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, & Stix Hooper. I have followed this band since the early 1970s.

If you are a Crusaders fan you definitely should buy this CD. It is like spending time with an old friend. They have a great beat and are always pushing their style to new levels.

If I could give more that 5 stars I would.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting Mix, May 29, 2005

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rural Renewal (Audio CD)

This reunion CD comes on the heels of several other "Jazz Crusaders" reunions that included Wayne Henderson; so while it might be hard for fans to get a handle on "Will the real band please stand up?", "Rural Renewal" is an excellent set on its own terms. David Ritz who wrote the lyrics to Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" does the liner notes that detail the course of jazz from the 60s to the present & how the Crusaders/Jazz Crusaders fit within that era. Joe Sample wrote most of the songs and does a great job such as on the loose "Shotgun House Groove" that producer Stewart Levine allows the band members to improvise over the central riff with great result. On "The Territory," Wilton Felder's tenor sax settles into the groove and explodes into a delightful ride. Drummer Stix Howse penned "Greasy Spoon" that sets a funky beat with Sample's keyboards & Felder's sax in a luxurious duel. "Lazy Sundays" is breezy & laid back. Perhaps the most memorable tracks open the set with Eric Clapton guesting on both the energetic title track & the blues jam "Creepin'." A quote from Donnie McClurkin on the Oprah Winfrey show just after 9/11 lead to the lyric composition between Sample & Will Jennings on "A Healing Coming On." The Sounds of Blackness guest on the track, giving a moving gospel feel. "Rural Renewal" is an excellent set that marries jazz, blues & soul into an enchanting mix. Enjoy!