Together as One in Bloomington, MN

Gregg Kofi Brown
spent two decades as guitarist and singer with the pioneering band
Osibisa
, who mixed
rock
and African music. But you'd hardly recognize that history in this star-studded
jazz
/
soul
lite workout. It peeks through occasionally, most obviously on
"Aya A,"
featuring Brazilian percussionist
Airto Moreira
. For the most part, however,
Brown
himself is lost among the welter of big names and largely anonymous music.
"World Spirit"
has a slight
"What's Goin' On"
vibe, and
"Wake Up the Morning"
has some passion in the vocals of
Gabrielle
and
Des'Ree
, but for the most part there's a slick, surface blandness to the music, never more so than on
Sting
's cloying
"Lullabye to an Anxious Child,"
featuring the man himself. For all the guest stars, a decent, memorable tune is hard to come by here. It's background music for a dinner party, unobtrusive and inoffensive. It makes all the right noises, but never hits home. ~ Chris Nickson