Whether you call it “new age” or “smooth jazz,” this particular
genre of music is one where there is little middle ground. Either
people are passionate about it, or they despise it completely. This
was tested when two members of the “Daily Vault Research Listening
& Snack Food Acquisition Panel” (their motto: “We laugh at
death… and calories”) had the chance to listen to the self-titled
release from Rhythm Logic before I got my hands on it. One woman
absolutely loved it; the other woman said it all sounded the
same.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve developed more of an appreciation for
jazz, even though I’m still hesitant in the world of smooth jazz.
But if all groups had their chops down like Rhythm Logic, I’d be
listening to this genre a lot more. By merging solid
mostly-instrumental originals with some well-executed cover
versions, this is a group that puts life into a genre that some
people might seem as sluggish.
The group — guitarist Ron Smith (who reminds me a lot of George
Benson in his playing), bassist Dwayne “Smitty” Smith, keyboardist
Brian Simpson and drummer Michael White — pour a lot of emotion
into their playing, and you can hear it with every note. From the
opening track “Tuesdays Love” on,
Rhythm Logic is a winner.
On first listen, especially if you’re into classic rock at all,
you might find yourself saying, “That song sounded familiar.” That
happened to me on “I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year)”, until
I finally recognized it as a cover of Steely Dan. To Rhythm Logic’s
credit, they do an excellent job covering this song – although I
wasn’t crazy at first that the group had added vocalists to the
project. (I was actually looking forward to hearing an
all-instrumental album on the strength of “Tuesdays Love”
alone.)
These moments of deja vu continue on “Fantasy” and “The First
Time,” though Rhythm Logic lovingly takes on each track, keeping
the original flavor while injecting enough of their own original
style into the mix. It’s a very hard thing to pull off, but the
band handles it with impeccable style.
The originals on
Rhythm Logic are no slouches, either. Tracks like “Logically
Speaking,” “Take Me Away!,” “Beverley” and “Full Speed” all capture
the essence of smooth jazz while keeping the listener interested in
each note. While I’ll admit I would have liked to have heard the
musicians really break loose, I guess that’s not in the definition
of smooth jazz. Oh, well.
Rhythm Logic is a superb CD that is well worth your time and
money. Even if you don’t like smooth jazz, you should be able to at
least appreciate the musicianship that is exercised on this disc.
Who knows — if you spend enough time with it, you’ll understand
that this all “doesn’t sound the same” — in fact, each piece has
its own voice that screams in its gentle way.
