There is smooth, and then there is Smooth, Gerald Albright's fourth and newest album. An encore to his succeddful 1991 release Live at Birdland West, a more traditional jazz album, Albright has allowed many of his brass roots to reflect into his latest work.

Using R&B to guide and flavor Smooth, Albright plays bass on a few tracks, flute, drum programming and of course his golden sax. He co-wrote eight of the ten tracks and even produced or co-produced all the tunes and assisted in the engineering of the disc.

It has been said you can judge someone by the company they keep. If so, Smooth's long list of collaborators rank Gerald Albright up with the greats. From the album's opener "Don't Worry About It," with Vesta Williams adding vocals, to Howard Hewet lending background vocals on "This is for The Lover in You," to "Sedona" with a piccolo bass solo from Stanley Clarke along with appearances from Lee Ritenour, Chucki Booker and Laha Hathaway, the album always meshes. Smooth says it all.

Reviewer:  Tom Elliott, courtesy of Flash Magazine.