Morgan Bouldin: keyboards, piano and music, vocal, drum and synthesizer programming and numerous other musicians
Morgan Bouldin resides in Houston, Texas, but his music encompasses the landscape of the world, most prominently Brazil and France. Bouldin wrote the liner notes to this CD and goes into extensive explanations about each tune. It is enlightening to read this kind of detail (although most people I know will need a flashlight and magnifying glass).
The title cut, "The World Is Mine," features a lush background vocal by Kym Smith, and Bouldin plays a Roland RD600 keyboard with an acoustic piano patch that threads through the suave melody beautifully.
"All Day Long" is in the groove with a multilayered instrumentation and a Latin-tinged melody with a snippet of refreshingly straight-ahead guitar solo by Victor De LaGarza.
Bouldin lays claim to being an "old-school funkateer" at heart, and the tune "More Bounce to the Ounce" is an example of how good funk can be.
"Faz Frio (Brazilian Interlude)" leads into "Get Here" for an introspective piece that engulfs one in the lovely melody.
"Jazz Music Box" has an intense repetitive chant by Paula Adams and a funky syncopated rhythm which is mesmerizing.
Bouldin handles a little Portuguese on lead vocals on "Tudo Bem," and the percussion interpretation by Joe Pagliso dominates the fervent rhythm.
Of the fourteen cuts on this CD, the last three are reprised ("All Night Long" is a remix of "All Day Long") and do not really add anything more interesting to what was done in the first place.
Nevertheless, this CD is innovative smooth Jazz of consequence. It is a project of immense artistry that transcends the genre of smooth Jazz.
By Dorothy L. Hill