Search - Steve Cole :: True

Showing what he feels inside, playing from the heart.

jazzmusikeditor | U.K. | 11/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Focusing on performance, improvisation and really playing from the heart & soul, and fueled by the metropolitan sounds and influences of his hometown of Chicago, the album is a mix of R&B, contemporary jazz, pop and dance music.

A talented cast of musicians helped Cole bring "True to life", including Jeff Golub, Steve Rodby, David Mann, Lenny Castro, Khari Parker and Chicago jazz specialists Ricky Peterson, Dave Hiltebran, and Mike Logan.

Cole plays five different instruments on the CD, coming off sassy while walking with the bass on "Coté Seine", funky-mellow on "Curtis" and very urban on the cross-tempo "Metro".

Cole's sax style melds melodies well with the guitar work of Golub, Michael Thompson, Bernd Schoehart and a bit of acoustic stroking from otherwise bass-man Hiltebran and the other side-men. "Something About You" is another fast paced piece with bunches of horns and some good solo work from Cole.

Through his four previous albums, Cole has established himself as a solid contemporary jazz artist.

His consistency as a songwriter and producer has netted him four #1 radio hits and ten Top 5 singles since his 1998 debut.

Even if this Chicago-based saxman has always been one of the most grittily soulful of today's top smooth jazz artists, there's always been the sneaking suspicion on his previous four release that he'd been holding out somewhat -- covering his truest funk-jazz with way too much slick pop sheen. If the title of this superior collection is indicative of the true persona that's here to stay, then genre fans will be in for a powerful adventure. There are none of those right-in-your-face catchy/fluffy pop hooks, at least not right away; a potent live ensemble backs the jumpy, David Sanborn-esque opener "Bounce," which builds to a bluesy jam with wilder playing than usual. "Cote Seine" matches the hot modern chill vibe with some of Steve Cole's most low-key, cool playing ever recorded. Could it be he finally learned that less is more? He finally gets to his trademark horn texturing on "Curtis," but does so in the dreamy, retro-soul spirit of his hometown legend Curtis Mayfield. "Just a Natural Thang" starts with a strong pop hook, but its trappings are loose and bluesy rather than superproduced. Even on the more overtly commercial tracks like the disco-meets-Memphis-driven "Metro," Cole captures the magic of his fiery live performance. "Take Me" reminds us of the lighthearted singer/songwriter vibe of his previous CD Spin -- likeable but a lot less engaging despite a singalong hook. Most artists in smooth jazz achieve success with a certain style and formula and stick with it, lest they alienate radio programmers and fans. Cole has scored many hits while on the road to finding his true voice, and with any luck, he'll stay right there as the perfect antidote to his less imaginative contemporaries

"

Great Comeback From His Last Cd (Spin) !!!!!!!!!-- Back to H

justin nicolas | 11/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have listned to steve since his first cd and I own all of his cd's - last year I was looking foward to the release of " Spin " but when I ran out and bought my copy I was very disapointed because even though it was played well and well presented It was more of a rock or pop cd and other than the radio track " Thursday " it had no smooth jazz and just cheap pop/rock ---- even though I was disapointed in the cd and after 3 previous great records I decided not to give up on his music, but I would not buy a another one of his cd's without hearing it first -- a few months later I heard that he would be releasing another cd I was eagerly wating for the release of " True " ---- to my suprise about 2 or 3 months before the cd came out amazon had sound clips and I imeditaly liked what I heard and pre-ordered the cd. the track " Cote Seinie " reminds me of his first and 2nd cd's and the track " Metro " reminds me of his 3rd cd (ny-la) also one of the best tracks on the cd is called " Curtis " and it is a smooth jazz/ blues song which really fits in on the album --- this is a cd you should get and add it to your jazz collection - if you liked Steve Cole's " Stay Awhile ", " Between Us " , Ny-La or even " Spin" this is something that you will listen to forever --- 5 stars !!!!!!!

"

Smoothjazz.com Review

Sandy Shore | Monterey, CA | 11/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You can count on sax star Steve Cole to always be at the cutting edge of innovation, but always wrapped in his signature honesty and integrity of performance. TRUE happily continues the trend. Not one to stay locked into any one style and sound, Steve's taken the more organic, singer-songwriter bent of his previous album, "Spin," and widened the stylistic range to bring more funk and jazz back into this one. His first albums were all about an urban sound, so this one takes the best of everything he's done to date, freshens the mix, and comes off as an extremely well-rounded collection of superlative Smooth Jazz. The funk and energy are definitely in place on this project, mixed by Craig Bauer, Grammy-nominated engineer for Kanye West's Record of the Year, "Late Registration." Steve's enlisted a musical Who's Who of support players too, including guitarist Jeff Golub, Ricky Peterson on B-3 and Rhodes, Steve Rodby on bass, and percussionist Lenny Castro, to name just a few. The stylistic and tempo range on this disc embraces the aforementioned funk (check out the first radio single, "Metro"), but also lyrical pop-rock ("Take Me" and "Closer"), and organic, acoustic contemporary jazz ("Cote Sein"). As we've come to expect from Steve Cole, TRUE is a solid, solid Smooth Jazz album from first note to last. I've always been a fan, dating back to his days with Brian Culbertson, and this one continues the tradition. It's an automatic. It belongs in your collection! ~ SCOTT O'BRIEN"