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Don’t let the blond hair and knee high boots fool you. Mindi Abair is the real deal on the saxophone.
This girl can really play. Her tone is great and she is obviously talented.
Unfortunately, praise for Abair’s latest CD, Life Less Ordinary stops there.
The music itself is, to be polite, underwhelming. The whole CD shares a closer resemblance to the unfortunate “smooth jazz” often found in elevators and when you are lingering on hold.
She could be described as the female Kenny G.
Actually, it is worse.
The majority of the CD is an attempt at fusion with “sexy R&B.” This is an experiment that does not pay off.
Most of music feels chintzy and forced. And in my opinion, it is the opposite of sexy.
The entire CD isn’t all dismal. In fact there are even one or two enjoyable tracks.
Track seven, “Slinky” is fun and inventive. With quick notes and quirky riffs, it’s easy enough to picture a slinky dancing to it.
Another surprising track is number three, “It Must Be Love.” Abair tries her hand at singing with surprising success.
Unfortunately, the lyrics are mediocre and predictable and don’t provide the listener with much emotion.
The song is helped along by the extremely talented Keb’ Mo’ and his dobro, a special kind of resonator guitar.
His energy and presence brings some much needed musical credibility to this CD.
With some more interesting and less clichCB)d lyrics “It Must Be Love” could have gone far.
The last track, “Far Away,” is slow and mournful.
With the addition of a well played piano, it is quite pretty and almost introspective. It has a slight pop-ballad feel to it. But the fusion of easy listening and pop-ballad goes together a little better than the music on the rest of the album.
The CD does live up to most of its billing: it is in fact easy listening. Why anyone in the world would want to listen to something called “easy” is beyond me.
Yet, I would be hard pressed to call this jazz. It may be a distant cousin.
But if easy listening is your thing, you probably didn’t get this far in the review, but if you did, go for it.
If the very thought of easy listening music makes you want to gag, stay away, far, far away.
