EDISON HERBERT

ALL I NEED

Independent label

Edison Herbert, guitar/composer; Neville Malcolm, bass; Ben Gilbert, piano; Sean Hargeaves, keyboards; Winston Clifford, drums; Cherisse Scott, vocals. Kim Cypher, saxophone; Kevin Robinson, flugelhorn.

I enjoyed the fresh introduction Edison Herbert used to preface the familiar Stevie Wonder song, “My Cherie Amour.”  It’s a smooth surprise when Wonder’s melody streams in after the first sixteen bars.  Herbert is a celebrated United Kingdom jazz guitarist who has been contributing to the world jazz community for the past three decades.  This album is a lovely mix of original songs and three popular classic songs.  One is “My Cherie Amour” and the other is Andrew Gold’s “Never Let Her Slip Away.”  The third ‘cover’ song is the Beatles hit record “With A Little Help From My Friends.”  However, the original music that Herbert has composed himself interested me.  I found it pleasant and engaging.  On his tune, “Three Reasons” Herbert’s improvisational solo shows off his guitar technique and creative flair.

This is a smooth jazz, contemporary production mixed with R&B/pop roots. On “Let’s Take A Walk” Herbert adds Kim Cypher on saxophone to fatten the production.

Unfortunately, it’s the drummer that is not supportive of the groove.  An original called “E’s Dance” has a catchy, melodic line.  A funk drummer could have taken this tune over-the-top.  It has all the elements of a hit record, but it’s missing that strong drum groove.

The title tune, “All I Need” is a pretty jazz waltz, once again exhibiting Edison Herbert’s ability to create a memorable melody.  Herbert slow-swings us out of this production with his final tune called, “Sunrise.”

Sometimes when an artist is this talented, they believe they can do it all: compose, play an instrument, arrange, and produce their own album.  I think with the right producer and a strong musical core, the genius of Edison Herbert would become even more elevated and popular.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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