Walter Beasley - Live (2005)

Vocalist and saxophonist Walter Beasley's style is so inclusive, incorporating smooth jazz, R&B, and urban soul with touches of light funk and pure pop, that he is literally all things at once to his audiences, a fact that is evident in this slick live set recorded October 9, 1998 at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, MA. Backed by a versatile band consisting of Tyrone Chase on guitar, Andrew Sherman on keyboards, Baron Browne on bass, and Mark Simmons on drums, and led by Beasley's jazzy smooth alto and soprano sax playing, not to mention his gently honeyed vocals, he comes across as charming as a Boy Scout in a tuxedo, with nary a rough edge in sight. Beasley features several instrumentals, most notably a nine-minute-plus version of his "I Feel You" hit, and a couple of intriguing vocal covers, including a version of Bobby Freeman's "Do You Wanna Dance" that is slowed down and turned into a simmering soul torch ballad. It's all as smooth as an ice rink at midnight, an attribute that is both Beasley's strength as an instrumentalist and singer as well as his Achilles Heel. A little bit of roughness just might make all this rich sugar seem all the more sweet. ~ Steve Leggett