Joyce Cooling - Third Wish (2001)

One of the most refreshing guitar voices to come out of smooth jazz in the last five years, Joyce Cooling returns with her third album, her first for a major label. Cooling's instantly recognizable scat-guitar style is used prominently throughout: as a melody line on Brazilian-flavored "Tamba"; accompanying the bridge and second verse on the heavy groove "Jelly on My Jacket"; and to enhance her solo on the title track. Al Jarreau joins in on the wordless vocal fun with Cooling on the aptly titled "Mm-mm Good." The Grammy-winning singer is the only ringer on Third Wish. The guitarist and her partner, keyboardist-producer Jay Wagner, wisely continue to record with their working band, which adds to the cohesiveness of this upbeat 10-track effort. Guest trumpeter Bill Ovitz does give the lowdown and funky "East Side" a kind of Rick Braun-Jeff Golub collaborative vibe; otherwise, Third Wish shows the kind of originality and growth for Cooling and her band that is pretty rare in the derivative smooth-jazz world. -- Mark Ruffin