So, here we go with another exercise in the Music Exchange Program, better known as MattA75's brilliantly conceived "I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours" Write-Off. The basic premise, as always, is to pair off Epinions writers and have them review an album outside of their normal tastes that the other picks out for them. This has produced interesting results for me in the past when I've had to write on albums by the Dixie Chicks, The Donnas, and Love Song. This time around, I've been paired with mike.holmes, who I know to be a bit of a jazz aficionado, and his assignment for me was to review the album Work to Do! by the jazz quintet Fattburger.
My first thought was, "Fattburger? We have a restaurant called that around here!" I'm not sure which came first, or whether the two are even aware of each other, but what I do know is that Fattburger is a band from San Diego, California, that has apparently been in existence for about 20 years. I also know that the genre of music they play is often referred to as "smooth jazz". I was a bit uncomfortable using that term to describe them myself, quite honestly, since "smooth jazz" is a genre that has been constantly derided by jazz fans over the past few decades, the criticism being that it's essentially a watered-down and overly safe form of jazz that relies more on relaxation than improvisation. But lo and behold, there were the words on the back of Fattburger's most recent album: "Celebrating 20 years of serving up the Fattest Smooth Jazz Grooves on the planet!!" So clearly, this is a label that the group is not ashamed of. Alright, then. I'll do my best to erase all comparisons to Kenny G. from my mind and move on.
With my newly revised outlook on this unfamiliar genre, one which I had only really heard as faint background noise in a co-worker's cubicle (and I'm ready to assume that radio stations of almost all genres generally play the safest of the safe, so that's not a good basis by which to judge a genre), I had come to expect something from Fattburger that was, well, Fatt. You know - really meaty bass lines, strong drums, scorching solos, something thick and juicy and meaty like the burger that the excited kid is holding on the cover of this album. Well, I think I might've had the wrong genre there, because Work to Do! is paradoxically pretty laid back. Not surprising given my initial conceptions of the genre of "smooth jazz", but still disappointing, I guess. I can't say that it's terrible music, but for my money there's a little too much focus on mostly gentle saxophone playing, synthesized keyboards, and electric guitar. The percussion, while I enjoy the combination of regular drums and hand drums, seems far too sterilized for my tastes, and jazz drumming is usually something that I can really get into even when it's subdued, because I like the crisp subtlety of the way things are brushed and stroked. What we've got is an album of instrumentals - some of them soul covers and most of them Fattburger originals - that kind of get a certain momentum going and then stay there, never quite reaching a sizzling point and never breaking out of 4/4 monotony. It's not bad music, because these guys seem to know their instruments and they play together comfortably without any one member hogging the spotlight - but then, that's the problem. It's pleasant, but to me it seems faceless. It fades into the background far too easily. It's like a CD of long interludes or something.
Work to Do
The band actually starts things off on a somewhat promising note by covering an Isley Brothers tune (not to be confused with Eisley, a sibling-centered band that I had Mike review) with a prominent saxophone taking the lead melody line. This more or less sets the tone for the album, even though ironically saxophone player Hollis Gentry III doesn't appear to be a full-time member of the band and most of the tracks on this album don't feature the saxophone. Not to be overshadowed, the rest of the band turns in a mostly enjoyable arrangement, as interplay between the keyboard and guitar fills in the breaks in the main sax melody. What's most notable here is the hand percussion - band member Tom Aros almost gives the tune a bit of an island vibe during a brief but tasty moment where he comes to the forefront. It's a shame that drummer Kevin Koch doesn't really seem to want to do much other than tap his way along - this is only the first of my problem with the drums on this album. I find this song getting stuck in my head a little more than the other tracks, either because it's up first or because I've actually heard the melody somewhere before and just not realized it. But the treatment here doesn't seem to mesh with the theme of getting work done - I associate this kind of music with chilling out, so it's kind of like, "Huh?" (Though it should be noted that the concept of "Muzak" was first conceived as a way to help make workers more productive by piping in soft music - but perhaps I shouldn't go there.)
Over Time
A slinkier groove sets in on the second track, and the first of the band's original tunes, which was written by guitarist Evan Marks. The drums sound heavily programmed, which actually isn't such a bad thing here - smooth jazz is supposed to be something like a jazz/R&B hybrid, and the more minor key melody, played very gently on the guitar, is fairly appealing. The bass is more noticeable here, keeping things moving at a brisk pace as it bumps along seductively. This is a pretty nice groove, if a bit too well-mannered and polished for me to really fall in love with it. The primary instrument in this song ends up being the keyboard, played by Carl Evans, Jr. (not to be confused with the restaurant Carl's Jr., which serves burgers, by the way), who manages to interest me with more of an organic-sounding piano solo before switching the voice on his keyboard to make more bell-like synthesized sounds as he continues to solo and take the song home with him. I kind of have mixed feelings about that, but when he start to really get going, it's not too bad.
100 Ways
A slower song shows up here, which takes on more of a sappy tone - for some reason the programmed percussion effects take me back a few decades to an era that I don't really care to revisit. I can't escape the fact that the guitar melody on this one sounds like a mellow commercial jingle (seriously, I want to start singing about Red Lobster or something) - maybe I like my slower grooves to have a bit of a darker hue to them, and this one's way too bright. There's too much processed/programmed stuff here, with the keyboard chords giving the guitar something to try to float on top of (later on it sounds like they're imitating some sort of horn or flute), and I don't really feel like the melody really goes much of anywhere before it ends in a fluttering keyboard flourish. I'd retitle this one "100 Ways to Put Me to Sleep", but I don't think they managed to actually come up with that many.
Down Time
Hey, it's the first song where the title fits the music! Sorry, but a lot of the titles on this record seem arbitrary to me, and I'm a guy who usually tries to stretch his imagination to see how an instrumental piece might evoke the thing it's named after. If this is "down time", what exactly were we doing before? Never mind. There's actually a bit of a busier feel here, ironically, thanks in large part to a very low, descending bass line that makes me think this could be a good soundtrack to a fat guy happily eating his dinner. Whatever sense of emotion I get out of this album is light, but there is a slight aura of playfulness to this one, as Kevin Koch thankfully syncopates the drums a little bit in places and there's a teeny bit of stop-start interplay between the drums and guitar. I think I like it best when the bass and drums are upfront, because the keyboards and guitar are still a little too "lighter-than-air" for my tastes. I'm thinking that if you like those tones coming from the keyboards and guitars, you'll take more of a liking to this style than me, so take that with a grain of salt.
B.D.D.D.
Hey lookie, it's a drum groove that makes me want to actually bob my head to the groove! Not bad. The keyboards take on more of an organ-like tone in the background and the guitar has a slightly more sassy feel to it, like it's an old friend sharing a few stories and laughs with me on a coffee break. I know precious little about jazz, but when I think about jazz, I tend to think of that style of playing where the instruments seem to be "talking" to each other, taking the place of vocals. Anyway, it's nice to hear that Kevin can hit his drums a little harder when he wants to. I get the feeling that the guitars actually want to let loose a lot more than they do, but given the apparent temperature limit imposed on this band, I'm guessing that ain't gonna happen any time soon.
Little Sunflower
A quiet bass line leads off one of the album's more pensive tracks, one which stretches out over five minutes, long beyond the point of maintaining my interest. It's not too bad at first - I like the constant "tick-ticking" of the drums and hand percussion working side-by-side and the classier guitar melody - there's still something that's a little too "department store" about it, but at least the department store is located next to a swank night club on a tropical island, or something like that. (You'll have to excuse me; I have a hard time describing melodies with words, so I have to settle for weird visual imagery like what I've demonstrated here. Please bear with me; I'm in unfamiliar waters.) This is definitely a pleasant track that feels breezy without feeling dumbed down, but I think it runs a bit too long for its own good. Oh wait - bass solo! How did I not notice that before? OK, it's not really much of a solo since other instruments are interfering, but I love it when the bass gets plucked like that.
Rene
Holy crap, it's an acoustic guitar! The way this one starts, with the bongos and acoustic guitar, is definitely a relief after so much gloss. Unfortunately, the plugged-in keyboards kind of end up dominating the song while the acoustic guitar keeps rhythm. I guess if I want to hear acoustic guitar on a jazz record, I should go hunt down another band, but oh well, it's a nice accent as it is. While the keyboards are too "cutesy" for me, the sax solo in the middle is kind of pretty. Things are definitely getting a bit too sleepy at this point, though.
You're the First, the Last, My Everything
Throwing some variation into the mix is this upbeat (though still very subdued) take on a tune by the late Barry White. I'm going to guess that this had lyrics originally - the jury's still out whether I'd prefer to hear a guest vocalist instead of another saxophone solo here, because that might seem a bit out of place on an otherwise instrumental album. Anyway, I'm getting a very faint disco feel from the subdued drums, which I guess gives me a vague hint of when the song originally came out. The bass provides a very good anchor here, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm watching Cliff and Claire Huxtable hamming it up for the audience by doing an awkward dance in their living room when I listen to this one.
I'm Just Sayin'
A neat little bass lick brings us into a stronger R&B-type groove, one which bass player Mark Hunter wrote and which finds him sort of making good on the bands "Fatt" moniker. I like listening to the bass snapping out its sassy little melody and grumbling along with the guitar solo during a few of the refrains, which are a little more nimble-fingered than most of Evan's work elsewhere on this album. The second refrain finds Mark pairing up with Carl for some bass/keyboard interplay, ending in a quick little keyboard run that takes us back into another guitar solo, which isn't too bad - I kind of wish the bass got to improvise a little more, given that the other instruments do. And then I get my wish - at least a little bit just before the predictable fade at the end. OK, this one's a keeper. I kind of see the bass as a jaded wise guy, making snarky comments in the background while everyone else is chilling and having a good time - hey, kind of like me!
That Feels Good
Man, only ten tracks and this has been a bit of a challenging album to get through. The final piece brings back the "prettier" guitar sound and backing keyboards used in some of the more sentimental songs like "Rene", while the processed percussion thumps and pops in the background. Again, a bit too 80's for me. I like the chord progressions in this one as they float about and return back to their home key, but for the most part this one feels dead in the water, and its abrupt ending is kind of a weird way to close after nearly every track that preceded it closed with a harmless fade.
Sadly, I found Work to Do! to be true to my preconceived notions of the "smooth jazz" genre. That's too bad, because I've heard that they're one of the more well-respected groups in said genre, and I've observed several moments where the musicians do display a little more virtuosity. Those moments are just separated by a bit too much gloss. Hey, I'm all for having mellow music to chill out too, but I want it to feel like I've got my own private jazz club in my bedroom, not like I'm out shopping or on hold with the bank, you know? I guess this is a genre I just don't get, and as a result I won't give Fattburger a totally harsh rating for this one, but I can't assign them an above average rating, either. So three stars it is, rounded up from 2.5 because I'm nice.
ALBUM WORTH:
Work to Do $1
Over Time $1
100 Ways $0
Down Time $.50
B.D.D.D. $1
Little Sunflower $.50
Rene $.50
You're the First, the Last, My Everything $0
I'm Just Sayin' $1.50
That Feels Good $.50 TOTAL: $6.50
Band Members:
Kevin Koch: Drums
Mark Hunter: Bass
Carl Evans, Jr.: Keyboards
Evan Marks: Guitar
Tom Aros: Percussion
Hollis Gentry III: Saxophone (on three tracks; probably not a full-time member)
Website: http://www.fattburger.com
This has been an entry in the "I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours" Write-Off, and I should apologize to its organizer Matt and my partner Mike for being delinquent regarding the deadline - it took me a while to track down this album and I wanted to make sure I had a few chances to sit and listen carefully to it before proceeding. Thanks for being gracious, and I hope that the review as at least entertaining to read.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.