Even though this brilliant saxman and composer insists on once again using a generic romantic title for a disc of incomparable diversity and riches (much as he did with 1999's
Sunset Harbor), there are at least six surefire smooth jazz airplay hits which will keep radio excited over the next year. If Steve Cole thought he had cornered the market on multi-track sax hooks the listener can't stop humming after the first spin, he better size up his competition with
Calle. He combines soprano and tenor on both the funky, upbeat (and well-titled) "Joyful" and the silky, romantic "Love After Dark," then doubles up on tenor throughout the shuffling urban-flavored "Smood Dude" and the spirited "Bar Talk" (an ode to the Miami club Raffles where he got his start). Smooth jazz balladry doesn't get much better than the soulful, orchestrally enhanced "Sari's Song," a passionate tribute to
Calle's wife. Those are the obvious hits, but there's still the deeper part of
Calle's Latin heritage to consider on the brisk, rolling
Gato Barbieri-like "Lover's Lane" (on which he plays alto, tenor, and baritone and floats his horns before the soaring drama of the Miami Symphonic Strings). With
Arturo Sandoval featured on "Strut," one might expect another Latin extravaganza, but this one's a moody, retro soul blues-rock jam featuring
Calle once again on all horns, teaming up note for note with the trumpet legend.
Calle also has a sense of nostalgia, performing gorgeous readings of
Neil Sedaka's "Laughter in the Rain" and
Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You." And "Bud and Sandy" borrows more than a riff or two from the classic Doobie Brothers' sound.
Sunset Harbor came out early in 1999 and stuck around to become one of the year's top discs, and
Twilight -- with its 13 outstanding tracks -- is a shoo-in candidate for best genre album of 2001. ~ Jonathan Widran