Chris Camozzi - Suede (1997)

The veteran Michael Bolton guitarist's second jaunt into rock-edged smooth jazz territory is such a smiling, carefree affair, Disneyland could use it as a soundtrack to its billing as the Happiest Place on Earth. From its explosive and relentlessly positive opening title track through the Rick Braun-laced "Miles Away" and two Richard Elliot enhanced, angst-free jams "Beyond the Horizon" and "Smooth Sailing" (generically happy titles, yes?), Suede crackles along like a gush of summer wind, sunny all the time, with only one true moment of quiet reflection, the cool vocal ballad "Never Want to Live Without Your Love," sung capably by a Boyz II Men0type group called Vision. Individually, any given track is an absolute triumph, hooky, smartly played, a bit too reliant on machines but nevertheless easy to embrace. The problem, if one can be found, is that they're all so upbeat, there's nothing to contrast them with -- they start blending together. His first disc, Windows of My Soul, reflected personal and emotional breakthroughs in Camozzi's life, and its delicate balance between light and dark made it a shoo-in for any Top Ten of 1996. On that one, he revealed the inside his heart, while on Suede he keeps everything on the surface. A glowing surface it is, as enjoyable as a sunsplashed jog on the beach, but moment of eloquence or heartbreak in its midst would have made the experience that much richer. ~ Jonathan Widran