Unconditional [Import]

Kirk Whalum | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 17, 2000)
• Original Release Date: October 17, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Warner Bros UK
• ASIN: B00004Z44C
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,300 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You Can Be Original and Make Music!, November 15, 2000

By 

Jazzman98 (Musicland, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unconditional (Audio CD)

Oh the "Never Satisfied" segment of society; always wanting the same, never asking for more. This CD is actually much better than the "For You" set, if for no other reason, 1.) there is more saxophone being played here, and 2.) there are more original(stress- original) songs. I'm not knocking "For You" - I'm just suggesting that artists should get a little credit for being original.

Just my opinion, because of producer Paul Brown's hand in all of this, this disc comes off like a "Boney James disc, except there is a much more soulful tenor sax playing the lead. I give Kirk 4 stars because he is out there with his own voice this time, and theresults work just fine.

If you liked Kirk Whalum's "Colors" disc (again, original stuff), then buy this disc and kick back into the groove.

Don't playa hate.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars whalum does it again!!!!!, March 21, 2001

By 

lionknockout61 "lionknockout61" (INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unconditional (Audio CD)

been a fan of whalums' for years, he always has had the ability to make his sax sing,.. senusal, soothing, deliberate yet powerful very much like a vocalist ...a good vocalist. On this new cd "unconditional', there are some new old and some new. What variety!!! Shadowing the great Glover Washington's Winelight sessions making the sax form words with quickness and ease, with the tune, " Grover worked and underpaid" is not a easy task but Whalum accomplishes this with the right touches. The sheer beauty of "a song for evan, is down right inspirational. "now til forever, is so so infectious, you'll hear this in your head days after. and much to my surprise, a vocalist that he featured on his last album,covering," all I do", a old Stevie Wonder tune. Miss Wendy moten is featured again on this album with a tune called "real love, I have Miss Moten first two solo albums and wondered what happened to such a great upcoming vocalist...you cant imagine how pleasing it is to hear she working with kirk...Cant wait til kirk tours with this album looking forward to the old and the new. Wendy would make a great opening act..... Buy this cd its worth every dollar!!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whalum Wales Like Only He Could and Can, January 9, 2011

By 

Vincent E. Martin "Darkbard" (Aurora, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unconditional (Audio CD)

Bottom-Line: Like almost all of Whalum's releases there is not a track on the well produced CD that is, well off-track or mere filler, no track sounds like an after-thought...

Something I didn't know about Kirk Whalum until very recently is that he is a man of the (biblical) cloth, a certified mouthpiece for God. Certainly I knew him as a spiritual being, it so informs his music, which is anything but vapid and soulless; just the opposite is true. Indeed Kirk Whalum is known for his sensual, sexy style of (soprano & tenor) saxophone play.

Whalum plays his sax like no other performer past, or present, save perhaps Grover Washington Jr., and on all of his CD's you can hear the love, and dare I say tenderness, he pours into every track. Who who needs words when Whalum plays, so delicious, soulful, and corporeal is the sound?

Undoubtedly the title of his 2001 release "Unconditional" refers to the love God has for him and that which he has for his "Creator." Be that is it may, the CD is far from a pure spiritual or gospel inspired piece; like all of Whalum's releases over the years "Unconditional" can and should be enjoyed by the masses. The title track Unconditional (No. 5) is not overly spiritual in tone or tenor, but Whalum's textured multilayered sax notes rise powerfully towards the heavens like a soaring choir after making their main harmonious happy musical statements.

Let's back track a bit to the first track, Now Till Forever, which starts off in the classic Whalum calming yet smoking approach to sax playing, harmonizing effortlessly with John Stoddart's soulful scatting.

On Playing With Fire (track No. 8), which was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, Whalum's soaring sax tones are answered, echoed, and given a stronger voice courtesy of the light acoustic guitar renderings of Peter White; late in the piece, Whalum textures and layers his saxophone to mimic a horn section, weaving that lovely sound around White's lofty guitar licks. Wait; hear the calypso beat in the background weaving in and out of the melody like a melodic serpent?

My favorites: track No. 3, God Must Have Spent S Little More Time On You, a cover of the 1999 `N Sync hit and track No. 7 Macy Gray's I Try. No one can cover a Popular hit like Whalum and in a October 2000 Billboard interview he said of the practice of including such hits on his CD's: "It is easy to be narcissistic and insular, to want to get your own point across every time. These songs are accessible to the public, and there is nothing wrong with that. If you think about Louis Armstrong or Count Basie, who have as much integrity as anyone who ever picked up an instrument, they played things that appealed to the public, things that would make people dance. That's not a crime." So true, it's beautiful soulful music.

Whalum is not alone of course, he has again gathered together some of the heavyweights of the genre to perform with him, they include, but are not limited to: Paul Jackson, Jr., Peter White, Michael Thompson, Tony Maiden (guitar); Shai (vocals, keyboards, bass); Wendy Moten (vocals); David Kahlid Woods, Gregg Karukas (various instruments); Greg Phillinganes (Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); Tim Heintz (organ, keyboards); Roberto Vally (keyboards, bass); Neil Stubenhaus, Alex Al (bass); "Lil" John Roberts, Teddy Campbell (drums); Lenny Castro, Luis Conte, Bashiri Johnson (percussion).

In addition to Playing With Fire's nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, "Unconditional" was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album and There You'll Be was nominated for the 2002 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Like almost all of Whalum's releases there is not a track on the well produced CD that is, well off-track or mere filler, no track sounds like an after-thought; all of the songs are performed with same aural quality and integrity one would except from a master instrumentalist like Whalum. Smooth Jazz stations are you listening? "Unconditional" is another Whalum CD that is on my musical shelf to stay!