After the release of his popular debut Full Circle in 2005, this extraordinarily soulful, emotional, old-school R&B vibing saxman -- who has toured with
Maxwell,
the Osmonds and
Lionel Richie, and opened shows for
Peabo Bryson and urban jazz greats
George Duke,
Boney James,
Norman Brown,
Kenny G, and
Peter White, said the way to change the face of smooth jazz was to "bring in new faces and be bold enough to take a chance." Joined by genre hitmakers like
Greg Adams (on the sensuous Latin-vibing slow dance gem "First Dance") and
Kevin Toney (the midtempo, hypnotic retro-soul of "Saultie"), he more than lives up to that promise on this multi-faceted, hook-filled collection. Beyond asserting himself as a diverse urban saxman whose soaring melodies and spirited grooves are matched only by his keen sense of improvisational passion, he's unabashedly in the sex and love business on
My So Fine. He goes joyfully Latin (from the get-go, with the punchy sizzle of "Sista Caliente"), then candlelit and romantic and, at times, even gets a little crazy, progressive and jamming ("JSU Jam," a boisterous shout out to his alma mater, Jackson State University). Not that he needs to impress us further, but
Delano proves himself a formidable modern R&B singer on a batch of tracks that offer a beautiful balance to the instrumental fun. Living up to its title (though it was intended for a romantic interest),
My So Fine is a true star making turn for one of urban jazz's brightest young lights. ~ Jonathan Widran