The
New York smooth jazz composer and keyboard player Mike Di Lorenzo is
unknown to me. However, early in his career he played with Whitney & her
mother Cissy Houston, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, etc. After about 15 years since he launched his solo career, he has released a new album. On it he features 3 soulful vocalists, Anna Moore, Sonna Rele and Denise Stewart. Mike is assisted by Frank Elmo on tenor sax, Ilajhi Hampden on drums, and guest musician Vinnie Cutro on trumpet and by background singer Vincent Bates.
Denise Stewart opens with the Motown cover 'Ain't Nothing But the Real Thing', after which Anna Moore, whose voice resembles Sade's, continues with 'All I Want Is You'. The instrumental 'City Nights' is the third track, followed by Anna Moore returning for 'Holding All My Love'.
She continues with the beautiful ballads 'I Realize' and 'In Your Arms'. 'Little Funky Thing' is an instrumental intermezzo, followed by the soul jazz single 'Lose Control' on which vocalist Sonna Rele from London loses control of all her senses. Then Anna Moore returns with the relaxed 'Play it Cool', while 'Side Stepping' is instrumental again. Denise Stewart performs 'So Very Hard to Go', after which the instrumental Earth, Wind & Fire cover 'That's the Way of the World' concludes.
A nice discovery for me, this new album by Mike Di Lorenzo!
Tracks:
Ain’t Nothing But the Real Thing
All I Want Is You
City Nights
Holding All My Love
I Realize
In Your Arms
Little Funky Thing
Lose Control
Play it Cool
Side Stepping
So Very Hard to Go
That’s the Way of the World