Soul on Jazz
Vocalist Philip Bailey's high-flying falsetto madeEarth, Wind & Firean immortal supergroup. On this CD, he's backed by a streamlined combo featuring saxophonistBob Belden, keyboardists Scott Kinsey and Myron McKinley, and remixerDJ Smash. Nine of the 11 tracks are updated classic jazz, pop, and R&B;/fusion-tinged tunes, from Nat "King" Cole's "Nature Boy" to Freddie Hubbard's "On the Red Clay." Thelonious Monk's "Ruby My Dear" is revived as a quiet-storm ballad, "Dear Ruby." "My Indiscretions," Bailey's take on the funky, futuristic Weather Report jam, "Indiscretions," features catchy lyrics by the singer's son, Sir Bailey. Chick Corea's "Sometime Ago" is turned into a club-friendly dance number, while Herbie Hancock's "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" is retouched with Afro-Latin tinges. The church-inspired EW&F; hit, "Keep Your Head to the Sky," is rendered with hip-hop-styled rim shots. Philip Bailey's vocalisms show thatSoul on Jazzdoes mix.--Eugene Holley Jr.