Steve Briody - Keep On Talkin' (2006)

As popular as the smooth jazz genre is, festival promoters tend to be a bit insular when it comes to announcing their annual schedules. Stars with established fan bases usually make the cut while deserving up-and-coming talents like this New York-based guitarist have to work that much harder. With his first major release (after a successful self-titled D.I.Y. project in 2005), Briody is primed for the big leagues. Every track is radio-ready, fluidly well played, and has an in-the-pocket quality, from the opening electric numbers -- the snappy, funk-drenched "Skip It" and laid-back, atmospheric ballad "Footsteps" (featuring the sweet, floating trumpet harmonies of Greg Adams) -- through the thoughtful, romantic acoustic gem "Not Far from Home," which has a Peter White flavor about it. Briody already has cachet among the genre greats, jamming with keyboardist Jeff Lorber on the wild and bluesy "Whiz Kid" (where Lorber's organ and piano work is so speedy and frenetic, he's all but egging the guitarist to keep up) and also working with saxman Eric Marienthal. Briody also has a great relationship established with his hook-minded producer, Rippingtons keyboardist Bill Heller, who keeps the crazy stuff (like the road tune "Keep on Talkin'") simmering and the gentle stuff emotionally engaging. It took similar-minded guitarist Nick Colionne a few indie projects to emerge as a potential genre star, and extraordinary efforts like this indicate that Briody, with any luck, will be headed for similarly lofty places. ~ Jonathan Widran