COOL TO THE TOUCH
Track Listing:
1. Felix The Cat
2. It’s Only Love, Love
3. One Night In Rio
4.Life In the Key Of Blue
5. Cool To The Touch
6.Hi-Fi
7. Hermosa
8. If I Ever Lose My Faith In You
9. Bongo Baby
10. When The Party’s Over
Review:
I think we know who we’re dealing with on this new album, COOL TO THE TOUCH. It’s none other than legendary horn man, the übersmooth Greg Adams…you know, the guy whose horn arrangements created Tower of Power’s signature sound, the guy who, in addition to 14 albums as a founding member of T.O.P., has worked with the likes of Rod Stewart, The Eurythmics, Lyle Lovett, Luther Vandross, and Santana to name a handful, plus has just released his fourth solo project.
In short Greg Adams’s credentials = impeccable. Just as you’d expect, this aptly titled new release is simply outstanding. Radio has already embraced the very cool cover of Sting’s “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” and now is all over “Felix the Cat,” the funk-driven second single, featuring a super sax section that includes Mindi Abair, Richard Elliot, Boney James, and Eric Marienthal!
These singles are only the beginning for what is a deep album of stellar tracks featuring the unmistakably delicious Greg Adams muted trumpet. Other “best of the best” highlights include a jamming R&B duet with Tom Scott on “Life in the Key of Blue,” the fun Latin romp, “Bongo Baby,” and the title track, showcasing the Adams signature horn section and a superstar rhythm section (Coliauta, Sklar, Jackson, Jr.). All I can say at this point, is that once you get a taste of COOL TO THE TOUCH, you’ll be saying very simply, “I want that!”
SCOTT O’BRIEN ~ Smoothjazz.com
