Belden seems to be among the small (but growing) number of jazzmen who can find gold in the rock generation's song catalogs. Here is one of the richer lodes, all originally found on a single
Carole King album called
Tapestry, and
Belden gives them an appealingly smooth, near-Wave treatment but with propulsive drum grooves to keep things from bogging down. Not only that,
Belden chooses to present the tracks from
Tapestry in the original sequence in which they appeared on
King's album, a thoughtful and artistically sound gesture that will trigger the nostalgia banks of any rockers-turned-jazzers among the boomers. The songs suit
Belden's relaxed, R&B-slanted soprano sax;
Tim Hagans' yearning, muted trumpet; the Rhodes-like electric piano sound that
Kevin Hays conjures; and the lovely acoustic and electric guitar work of
John Hart. The uptempo groovethon "I Feel the Earth Move" and the surprisingly energetic
Weather Report-like treatment of "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman" are the most irresistible cuts on the disc. ~ Richard S. Ginell