Featuring a cast of legendary jazz musicians who have totally fallen off since their glory years,
Still Small Voice welcomes back
Paul Jackson, Jr. to the studio after a two-year hiatus. On this relaxing smooth jazz record of the highest order,
Jackson's guitar chops complement
Patrice Rushen and
Billy Preston's graceful ivories. Taking a stab at jazz standards, pop, and R&B hits,
Jackson eloquently treats each of the compositions with great care and respect to the originals, almost as if he wrote them himself. While
Jackson hasn't lost a step in his virtuosity, it would have been interesting to let the other musicians involved in the project stretch out a bit and contribute other perspectives. But make no bones about it, this album is fluffier than a lemon meringue pie, while going down smooth like a glass of Louie XIV. ~ Rob Theakston