.com Pianist Bob James and drummer Harvey Mason have gotten their bebop yearnings out of their systems through solo albums, and guitarist Larry Carton took care of his blues craving with an album of his own. Now, they reunite their smooth-jazz supergroup leaving bassist Nathan East with plenty to do. East dominates the first half of this album with vocal work on the first five tracks. While Carlton leads the Sting cover, "Fields of Gold," it is the opening riff, East's vocals on the bridge, and his signature bass runs at the end that make it attractive. East hip-hops the proceedings on his composition "Play Around It" and sings passionately enough on the title track to warrant kudos from his other employer, Eric Clapton. The other half of the record is a more adventurous group effort featuring longer lines and more intense soloing, particularly on James's "Avalabop" and Carlton's "Cool Train." --Mark Ruffin
K**M
Another Enjoyable Journey
Fourplay never fails to satisfy. This cd is another illustration of this group's creativity and musicianship. Great music.
M**K
No issues
As promised on time.
W**R
If a customer has become familiar with earlier Fourplay albums ...
If a customer has become familiar with earlier Fourplay albums, they'll likely recognize elements of those earlier albums in this Journey album. I have already listened through this album, and appreciate this approach to a "Best of ..." album. The vocals included in a few of the selections add a dimension of freshness to those selections reflecting earlier albums. However, for this album to be understood and appreciated, I would suggest a customer select two or three earlier albums and listen to them BEFORE listening to "Journey."
J**K
Sounds great
A new addition to my collection of Fourplay, and just what i expected. Bad packaging the jewel cases were damaged in shipping. I had two CDs in this order and both had case damage, but the disks were good.
J**3
Fourplay does it again!
You will not regret purchasing this album! Every fourplay album brings smooth jazz to another level. These guys are in a class of their own. I opened the CD as soon as I got it, put it in and began listening! There are very few albums you can put on and listen to the entire thing, song after song, and over and over again. But this is one of those albums! It's perfection!
T**R
Good but not their best
I really enjoy Fourplay's music. However, out of the first 11 Fourplay CD's (all with Lee Ritenour or Larry Carlton on guitar) this is the most uneven.Fields of Gold is a classic - a beautiful and moving piece of music by Sting, but for some reason Fourplay's rendition isn't either moving or captivating at all. Play Around It has a nice groove with a little street vibe, and the band added a nice touch by burying the lyrics and vocals to a suggestive level. I enjoy a lot of Bob James compositions but From Day One seems to wander with the only interesting catch being the unique rhythmic pattern that appears at various points. The title track is sweet song with sweet lyrics, but it needed a real lead vocalist and didn't get it. Rozil wants to be a sweet song for about the first 4 minutes and then starts building to a ending that left me feeling like I hadn't been anywhere. Cool Train is where I finally heard something that made me feel like buying the disc might have been worth it. A nice Larry Carlton blues thing. Avalabop has some really nice moments and good performances by each player. The problem with The Firehouse Chill is it sounds way too much like just an extension of Avalabop. Same vibe. Departure has some nice moments - but the uniqueness of it adds to the feeling like the CD is disjointed. The closing song, 147th 4th St. is okay - nothing terribly memorable.In fact, the problem with Journey is nothing is very memorable (except Play Around It and Cool Train). It seemed like the group went into the studio with some songs and tried to make something happen. It's unique in the Fourplay catalogue but not for the best reason. Still, the band's excellent musicianship does help, which is why I gave it three stars.
M**Y
It’s what I wanted
Love this cd
L**M
Fourplay is Good
This was the first time I ever heard this group and I have to say, the cd is a "no skipper". All the tracks are good. Got my value here for sure.
N**A
Grandi artisti
Cd eccezionale. Registrazione splendida. Lo ammetto sono di parte credo di avere quasi tutti i cd dei FOURPLAY. Se l’impianto è di livello c’è da sognare
R**N
The best smooth jazz/soul group on cd
This is my 3rd cd from this 4 piece band, excellent music, brilliant sound and you can play it many times over without getting bored with it. I'm looking for my next cd. Item arrived well packed and on time as promised. I will deal with this seller again.
R**N
Five Stars
As advertised
M**R
Five Stars
After I purchased this CD the rates were reduced by Rs. 1000/-
ハ**ち
Ｆｏｕｒｐｌａｙ最高！
往年の名プレーヤーのテクニックをさりげなく満喫できる大人のジャズ。移動中でも食事中でも家でリラックスしたい時にもどんなシチュエーションでも合う曲が満載。優しいボーカルの曲もあり、とても落ち着くアルバムです。
