Norman Brown

Celebration

Warner Brothers Records 47300-2

Norman Brown, guitar and vocals; Paul Brown, drums; Tim Heintz, keys; David Torkanowsky, keys; Rick Braun, trumpet; Alex Al, bass; Lilí John, drums; Lenny Castro, percussion; Oji Price, keys and programming; Larry Kimpel, bass; Herman Jackson, keyboards and synth programming; Munyungo Jackson, percussion; David Woods, drums and keys; Rayford Giffin, drums

Seriously funky grooves, and a production value to beat the band, Normon Brown's fourth release reveales his sound to be just as smooth and funky as ever, with the right amount of soul and solo improvisation that makes the album super slick.

His move to Warner Brothers records from MoJazz has resulted in a highly produced and polished product, yet always retaining the purity of Brown's own sound on the instrument. Flowing from Wes Montgomery and into the 1970's soul styles, Brown has carved his name in the mountain, along with George Benson and others.

Brown's playing is on fire throughout the album. The downside lies in a few vocal tracks of his. Brown's voice is undeveloped and not nearly as mature as his playing. When placed side by side, the vocals seem almost unbearable. None the less, Brown's playing remains, as always, solid and true, and is certainly the reason for his success as an artist.

by Stefan Zeniuk

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