Silver Rain

Marcus Miller | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 12, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Koch Records
• ASIN: B0007DBJ6E
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,457 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Marcus Miller is foremost known as a Grammy-winning bass player, but as he proves on Silver Rain, Miller is equally formidable as an arranger. Taking songs from a disparate mix of artists that includes Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, Jimi Hendrix, Edgar Winter, Beethoven and Prince, Miller’s skills are in almost embarrassing abundance here. On Edgar Winter’s 70s rock jam "Frankenstein", his band (including the likes of Kirk Whalum on tenor and Kenny Garret on alto) flat out wails, but Miller’s slapping bass keeps the groove completely locked down. In contrast, his take on Beethoven’s "Moonlight Sonata" sets the stage for Miller’s mellow-groove skills while the cover of Stevie Wonder’s "Boogie On Reggae a Woman" is Miller at his intricate, funky best. On Prince’s "Girls & Boys", Macy Gray adds her swooping, sensual vocals while Eric Clapton sits in on the title track. Clocking in at around 75 minutes, this CD is full to bursting, but what’s striking here is not the quantity, but the quality. Miller is able to effortlessly make this material his own; moreover he is able to take an impossibly diverse set of songs and construct an album with real cohesion and flow. There is a lot happening on this album, as multi-instrumentalist Miller swaps instruments, moods and musicians from tune to tune, to his credit, however, he never loses the trail. The result is an extremely enjoyable album and an apt platform for Miller’s many, many talents. --Steve Duda

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More of the same from Marcus., April 25, 2005

By 

Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Silver Rain (Audio CD)

Marcus Miller's "Silver Rain" is a good album, its full of all the things we've come to expect from Marcus-- great, funky electric jazz with breathtaking bass solos, some unique cover choices, a couple songs closer to r&b, an occasional vocal, and some great performances by guests.

In many ways though, this is starting to become a problem-- its not that the music here isn't good, it is, you've got to look no further than the 30 second "Intro Duction" to hear just how good of a bass player Marcus is, how great he is at this idiom, but he's covered this ground before. And in many ways, there's little to distinguish this album from his previous work.

Having stated that, if you liked his previous work, you'll probably like this one-- like I said, its got all the hallmarks, and certainly his minor key blues dirge take on "Moonlight Sonata" is quite intriguing, and it really doesn't get better than this for bass (Miller's solo on the otherwise lifeless "La Villette" is nothing short of breathtaking), and yeah, "Power of Soul" is a lot of fun, but I've just heard it all before, and quite frankly, I felt the songwriting was better on "The Sun Don't Lie".

I will say this, nice to see the packaging looking great on a Marcus Miller record-- the digipack with a great little praise piece and song notes from Marcus is a nice touch, I wish all his releases looked this good, pity the music is just standard fare for him.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Another mediocre Marcus CD..., April 15, 2005

By 

20to20K (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silver Rain (Audio CD)

Picked up the new Marcus Miller this week. For bass players and fans of fusion Marcus needs no introduction. This is his 4th studio solo outing (not counting those two dredful disco albums he made in the 80's) and I must say I was a little disappointed in the last two after his great debut CD "The Sun Don't Lie".

Before I critique the music let me first say that the sonic quality of this CD is outstanding. One of the better fusion recordings I've ever heard. He uses some new recording process that he talks about in the linear notes that I've never heard
of (and I can't recall the name of) and he's working with the engineer who recorded with Bob Marley towards the end of his career.

As for the music...it's another mixed bag for Marcus. The first half of the CD is very good. Good rhythems, good solos and great support work. Nothing ground breaking, but good solid fusion. Towards the second half of the CD he starts
experimenting with that dreaded bass clarinet that he's infatuated with for some reason and interjecting vocals to most of the tracks. Guest artists include Eric Clapton (who mumbles his way through the title track), Kenny Garrett, Kirk Whalum,
and his normal house band. In addition to his own compositions he does covers of Edgar Winter, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, and Ludwig Von.

Someone as talented as Marcus should be putting out better music than this. With his playing, songwriting, and connections he should have a 5 star classic in his arsenal by now instead of these slightly better than average funk jams.

This CD is worth owning if you're already a Marcus fan or a bass-head. For those just looking for some good fusion with Marcus I would recommend his much superior debut CD, David Sanborns "Straight to the Heart", Dave Grusin's "Mountain
Dance", Miles Davis "We Want Miles" or "Tutu", Tom Browns "Brown Sugar", or Kenwood Dennards "Just Advance".

Overall ratings(out of 10):

Performance: 7
Recording: 9.5

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marcus Miller touches on all the bases!, April 14, 2005

By 

J. Lund "jazzbrat" (SoCal, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Silver Rain (Audio CD)

Hard to believe that Marcus Miller's first recorded appearances were nearly three decades ago. Easier to believe -- based on his track record (solo, as a producer, etc.) -- that anything new he puts out will offer a variety of fresh musical twists. Such is the case with SILVER RAIN, an album that should have considerable genre-crossing appeal. His fluid and funky electric bass playing is sharper than ever, and it should be noted that on the softer tunes he plays with as much or more nuance than perhaps I've ever heard by an electric bassist (almost like an acoustic guitar, yet without losing the deep qualities expected of a plugged-in bass). As if that's not enough, he assertively takes the lead with his bass clarinet on several cuts.

Besides Marcus' bass playing and overall musical direction, two aspects of this album stick out in particular. First, his eclectic choice of tunes. Of course, there's an update or two of the funk/jazz genre ala his days with Miles Davis (including "Bruce Lee"). Yet look how far and wide he reaches for material. There are personalized takes on material as diverse as Jimi Hendrix's "Power Of Soul," Stevie Wonder's "Boogie On Reggae Woman, a funk/jazz take on Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" (air guitar, anyone?), Prince's "Girls & Boys," Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady," Brenda Russell's "If Only For One Night" (a tune made famous by Luther Vandross), and even a bluesy adaptation of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata."

Finally, Marcus has inserted a fine selection of guests into the mix. Veterans of past Miller CDs and tours are still on hand (trumpeter Patches Stewart, keyboardist Bernard Wright, drummer Poogie Bell, etc.), while recurring guests such as reedmen Kenny Garrett are back for more. Also on sax are the likes of Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum. Then there are the vocalists, which include Lalah Hathaway, Macy Gray (on "Girls & Boys"), and a memorable vocal by Eric Clapton on the reggae-flavored title track (yes, he's got a guitar solo, too ... and there's an brief, unlisted reprise at the end of the CD). Familiar yet unpredictable is usually a winning formula, and that certainly holds true on this recommended album.