Doc Powell


Laid Back

It has been a long time since I heard such good Jazz-tinged Rhythm and Blues. Most of the songs in Doc Powell's latest release are instrumental, and all of them have a great catchy groove running through them. Once in a while there's some great guitar work. The saxophone work (Boney James, Garald Albright, Kirk Whalum) is haunting and the guitars and the saxophone intermingle well. The melodic structure in the album is simple and harmonious. The music is made all the more entertaining because of the addition of guest musicians such as Stanley Clarke (on acoustic bass) and Sheila E. (percussion). My favourite tracks are Lover for Life, where the bass, guitar and vocal all merge beautifully, Pacific Coast Driver, where Clarke rules on bass, and the title track with James' brilliant soprano saxophone work. Doc Powell is really Laid Back in this one---great music to relax to.


Music ram-blings || Ram Samudrala || me@ram.org