Spellbound in Bloomington, MN

With the supremely funky rhythm section of
Marcus Miller
(bass),
Lenny Castro
(percussion) and
Omar Hakim
(drums) propelling his piano most of the way -- the other ringers on a few tracks aren't bad either -- you would think that
Joe Sample
couldn't miss on this solo outing,
Spellbound
. Indeed, his distinctive piano cannot be mistaken for anyone else's, free of the usual mainstream influences and always a pleasure to groove to. And yet there is something too comfortable, too settled, too automatic about the musicmaking here, as if the grooves are being smothered by a warm, snuggly electric blanket. Another problem is the material; not much leaps into your memory banks. Nor is it meant to, perhaps, since the gently sustained
electronic
textures suggest that this is, above all, high-class background music.
Al Jarreau
,
Michael Franks
and
Take 6
-- all
Warner Bros
. signees, natch -- put in characteristic cameo vocal appearances on one track apiece, and a background choir sings
"Luna en New York"
in Spanish. ~ Richard S. Ginell