Review: The Rippingtons have put together another contemporary jazz fan's "Dream". The Rippingtons really know what jazz fans want and they give it to you holding nothing back. How do they continue to do it? When this question was posed to Russ Freeman, he responds by saying, "I know that there are a lot of you out there who have every CD that we have done. I think about this fact every time I sit down to write another CD. I have tried my hardest to raise the bar just a little more each year, to make better sounding records, and write more exciting songs." The bar has truly been raised. One listen to their latest release and we were once again astonished with the brilliance and energy that The Rippingtons can assemble in their music.
This CD starts out strong with the title track, "Black Diamond" which features the elegant guitar strumming of the one and only, Russ Freeman on his 1960 Strat. This track leads ever so smoothly into the, "Deep Powder" track where you are once again loving every blissful melody backed up with some intriguing vocals from Mark Williamson. The Rippingtons also deliver a lovely ballad on "If I owned the World" with great vocals again by Mark Williamson. "Angelfire" comes at you with a Latin flavor along with remarkable percussion work by Pete Escovedo. This track also features very hot trumpet soloing by one of my favorites, Arturo Sandoval. The CD ends on a high note with a very original acoustical version of the title track that accentuates the vocals and the acoustic instruments. Your going to love it! A must have for your collection.
JazzReview.com
