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| Currents
from the October 2007 issue |
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RONNY SMITH
Simply Stated (K&A)
Sometimes in the middle of night I wake with a start and wonder if any
guitar-based contemporary instrumental music would ever have been
created if George Benson, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass had never been
born. After hearing the first few seconds of Ronny Smith’s “Bossa
Awhile,” which leads off his sparkling new CD, you’ll note the
influences from this troika of geniuses and know that their legacies
are in good hands.
Smith is a former U.S. Army Band member interested in expanding on the
good groove of the latter-day Bensons like Ronny Jordan and Norman
Brown, who mix pop and jazz sounds and tempos with traces of R&B,
hip-hop and even rock. Smith doesn’t get as much exposure as those two,
but he should. Aside from a cover of Steely Dan’s “Josie,” which even a
guitar solo can’t save from blah-ville, Simply Stated is a strong
effort. Smith doesn’t use a live drummer for the most part, but instead
programs percussion and adds some interesting sounds from the controls,
which only tend to heighten interest.
Highlights: “Chillin’ After Eight”’s light R&B with its hand-clap
groove and trumpet bursts from Gerald Chavis; the bossa chill of
“Majorca”; and the romanticism of “She’s So Special.” On Jonathan
Butler’s “Fallin’ in Love with Jesus,” William Banks’ vocals take it to
the top.
-Brian Soergel
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