Healing Time
OnHealing Time, the line Ronnie Earl blurs between jazz and blues gets even blurrier than on his 1997 record,The Colour Of Love. An all-instrumental record of deep passion and virtuosity,Timefeatures song structures that are loose and laden with thoughtful riffs and solid work from Earl and his players, recallingCarlos Santana's fiery licks and the jazz guitar textures ofWes Montgomery. Their attention to each song's changes and transitions makes for vivid textures and wide-ranging moods, while varying the instrumental focal points of each allows the musicians to reveal the songs' emotional cores. Jumping out of the gate with "Churchin'," the record is given a gospel tinge byJimmy McGriff's Hammond B-3 that pops up again later on "Blues on a Sunday."  Throughout, on songs like "Thembi," with its piano-based breeziness, and "Idle Moments," with Earl's mournful guitar work, it's clear that Earl and his band have worked hard to provide these songs with whatever touch of instrumentation or genre-bending they might need to sound complete. By letting his insightful musicality guide him, and allowing each song to blossom with individuality, Earl creates an endlessly fascinating record that fairly brims with the light of inspiration.--Matthew Cooke