Dreamweaver [Bonus Tracks]

marks 's return to recording after a three year silence, and his first since the death of his wife Corine in 2012. While he is always diverse, this set is uncommonly so. The opener, a slippery, atmospheric title intro, flows directly into the Latin-tinged "Stones of Orion," a jazz tune with on piano, Rhodes, and synths, on upright bass, and a four-piece horn section. It's shimmering groove-oriented jazz that reflects the time that spent with . "Trippin'" is a funky, jazzed-up R&B tune where he offers his autobiography; it features some fine muted trumpet work by . "Missing You" is a jazz ballad tribute to Corine, with the finest vocal has laid down in a decade. But there's funk here, too, in the fat stomper "Ashtray." Another highlight is the leisurely, wonderfully sophisticated, 15-plus-minute "Burnt Sausage Jam," which features on a wide array of keys, on bass, the late, great, and certainly under-celebrated on guitar, and on drums and horns. "Change the World," with a slew of vocalists including , , and , is obviously inspired by 's "We Are the World," but is far less anthemic, as it weaves modern gospel, adult contemporary R&B, and reggae into a seamless whole. The biggest surprise here is the inclusion of the sultry, bluesy, nocturnal jazz ballad "Ball & Chain," with the late . It was cut for her album, but was shelved because she wanted to use it on a planned collaborative jazz album with . Sparsely adorned with his drum and synth programming, on trumpet, and on tenor saxophone, it's a killer performance from . The closing reading of the ' standard "Happy Trails" is rearranged as a soulful, sexy, gospelized jazz tune celebrating the lives of those who added so much to 's. While it's true that 's creation was inspired by the desire to move on from so many losses -- Corine, -- it is not remotely a sad record. If anything, with its smooth, warm, grooves, it celebrates life in the present. [ was also released with two bonus tracks.] ~ Thom Jurek