Urban Knights II is the second studio album by the jazz group Urban Knights released in 1997 on GRP Records. The album reached No. 7 on the US Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and No. 24 on the UK Top Jazz Albums chart.[1][2][3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Jazz Times(favourable)[6]
Sun Herald(favourable)[7]

Jazz Times stated "With moods playful to passionate and players in a relaxed goodtime frame of mind, it’s a perfect party disc."[6] Don Adderton of the Sun Herald wrote "When you surround a master artist with a strong supporting cast, usually great things happen. On this second outing, Ramsey Lewis scores big on Urban Knights II (GRP)." Adderton added "Still the master craftsman, Lewis leads this all-star aggregation rampaging into funk, jazz, rhythm-and-blues and Latin-flavored ballads."[7] Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times found that "The music that results can perhaps best be described as rhythm & jazz--bits and pieces of improvising from Lewis and the horn players juxtaposed against insistent, funk-driven rhythms. South African Butler, especially on the tracks in which he sings (“South African Jam” and “Brazilian Rain,” especially), brings a seductive world-music ambience to the proceedings."[5] Jonathan Widran of Allmusic called the album a "Maurice White-produced exercise in easy funk and potent, machine generated urban grooves."[4]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Scirroco"Bill Meyers, Maurice White4:03
2."Get Up"Ramsey Lewis, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph3:47
3."Come Dance with Me"Karen Boyd, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph4:01
4."South African Jam"Jonathan Butler4:51
5."Brazilian Rain"Sonny Emory, Morris Pleasure4:19
6."Interlude #1"Ramsey Lewis0:35
7."Summer Nights"Bill Meyers, Jimi Randolph, Maurice White5:32
8."Tell Me Why"Jonathan Butler, Bill Meyers, Kevin Williams4:19
9."Urban Paradise"Ramsey Lewis, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph4:23
10."Drama"James Cornwell, Kevin Guillaume3:47
11."Step by Step"Ramsey Lewis, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph4:01
12."The Promise"Bill Meyers, Ross Vannelli, Maurice White4:10
13."Interlude #2"Ramsey Lewis2:02
14."Dawn"Kevin Randolph4:38

Charts

Chart performance for Urban Knights II
Chart (1997) Peak
position
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[8] 7
US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)[2] 5
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) 48
UK Jazz Albums (Official Charts Company)[3] 24

Personnel

  • Gerald Albright – soprano saxophone
  • Najee – flute, saxophone, soprano saxophone
  • Frayne Lewis – keyboards
  • Ramsey Lewis – piano, electric piano
  • Mike Logan – keyboards
  • Bill Meyers – synthesizer, backing vocals, Fender Rhodes
  • Jimi Randolph – synthesizer
  • Kevin Randolph – keyboards, synthesizer bass
  • Jonathan Butler – guitar, vocals, backing vocals
  • Sheldon Reynolds – guitar, backing vocals
  • Morris Pleasure – bass
  • Chuck Webb – bass
  • Verdine White – bass
  • Sonny Emory – drums
  • Tony Carpenter – percussion
  • Paulinho Da Costa – percussion
  • Karen Boyd – backing vocals
  • Carl Carwell – backing vocals
  • Theresa Davis – backing vocals
  • Valerie Mayo – backing vocals
  • Maurice White – backing vocals

References

  1. ^ Urban Knights: Urban Knights II. GRP Records. 1997.
  2. ^ a b "Urban Knights: Urban Knights II (Top Contemporary Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Urban Knights - Urban Knights II". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Widran, Johnathan. "Urban Knights II". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  5. ^ a b Heckman, Don (May 25, 1997). "Smooth Sale-ing Ahead in the Contemporary Arena". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ a b "Urban Knights: Urban Knights II". jazztimes.com. Jazz Times. September 12, 1997.
  7. ^ a b Adderton, Don (May 16, 1997). "AZIMUTH TAKES ADVANTAGE OF VOCALS". newsbank.com. Sun Herald.
  8. ^ "Urban Knights: Jazz Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Knights_II
No tags for this post.