Herb's Colors Album Revisited

Steven J. Gross

Well-Known Member
I really didn't like this one at all on initial listenings, but pulled it up, and it's really a great album. Probably ahead of it's time. As I recall it was generally panned but it's probably his best in the last 20 years, great musician line up as well. I'm not as keen on his current incarnation, but that's just me..
 
I should probably listen to COLORS. I have never heard it due to the various reviews and descriptions I've read. I think it might be the only Herb Alpert album I've never heard. I guess now that I have Amazon Unlimited Music handy, I could listen to it that way... if it's available. (goes to check)
 
This album is a little closer to some of the other music I've been listening to in recent years, like some of the more "out there" tracks from Four80East, Praful, and even some of Nicola Conte's remixes. I do have the CD (from back when it was released) but Qobuz has it available for streaming, so it hasn't been overlooked.
 
I bought mine on the week it was released thanks to hearing a couple of tracks on a Digital Cable music channel ( a rival of music choice called Digital music express DMX for short) on their smooth jazz channel and I agree colors gets better with age
 
Funny, I loved this album the moment it came out! It's another experimental album from Herb, but his choice of players were the rhythm section of the black rock group Living Colour with the late,great Bernie Worrell(from Parliament Funkadelic), and others like Eddie Del Barrio, the always reliable Paulinho Da Costa, and of course Lani. My favorites on the cd are:"The Look Of Love" (which got a LOT of airplay on the now defunct CD101.9 smooth jazz station here in NY) the "country and western" sounding jam "Think About It", "Lady In My Life"(btw, this is the second time Herb covered this song), "Love At First Glance", and his new version of his old tune "Magic Man"( which btw, the original version of this tune turned me on to not only all things Alpert, but was the fuse that was lit that inspired my interest in jazz! When I finally met Herb, and I told him this, he said "I'm glad I inspired that!" My interest in jazz, that is.)

The website AllMusicGuide gave the cd FOUR STARS, and gave the album a very nice review! it didn't get better with age; it was already better to me!

P.S. didn't Paulinho make an album for A&M some time ago? Would like to know!
 
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