Euge Groove - House of Groove - Music & Performance - CD

Saxophonist Euge Groove is one of the best-selling Contemporary Jazz artists, scoring five #1 smooth Jazz radio hits and selling over 250,000 units. HOUSE OF GROOVE delivers his trademark contemporary funk/jazz grooves on a wide-ranging set including likely radio hits as well as broadening his appeal with a couple of outstanding vocal tracks featuring female vocalists.

The smooth jazz genre in the 2000s and 2010s has had two very vocal apostles in Kirk Whalum and Jonathan Butler, who made gospel albums to complement their more mainstream output, and have spoken freely on-stage about their faith. One who has done this more quietly, but no less eloquently, is Euge Groove, whose muscular tenor sax-doubling and lilting soprano have helped him score numerous radio hits and develop a ready-to-party audience as he subtly infuses a little church in the mix. In many ways, House of Groove falls right in line with the versatile saxman's core array of sounds -- dreamy, lilting, and sexy on the expansive opening track "Knock! Knock! Who's There?" and going for that dark-chorded, midtempo, doubled-tenor sizzle on the title track. One of the coolest elements that sets this collection apart is the length of the tracks, which allow him to offer rich solos to his bandmates -- most notably, the fiery Neal Schon-like guitar solo by John "Jubu" Smith on the hypnotic ballad "Indian Summer," and the stellar soloing throughout by keyboardist Tracy Carter. But the spiritual/emotional core of the songs calls to mind the vibe of his earlier release, Sunday Morning. There's the infectious invitation to the "Fellowship Hall," the simmering gospel ballad "God Bless You" (with graceful vocals by Kate Miner Moebel), the buoyant "Faithful Central" (a church in the Los Angeles area of which Carter has been musical director), and the gentle gospel/whispery soul vocal ballad "It's Only Rain," a passionate plea about keeping the faith. Another R&B-driven delight is "Never Met a Woman (Like You)," featuring the lighthearted coolness of genre great Jeffrey Osborne. House of Groove keeps its promised rhythms flowing, but the spiritual heart takes Groove's game to some exciting new places. ~ Jonathan Widran, Rovi

Performer	Euge Groove
Music genre	Jazz
Music subgenre	Contemporary Jazz
Media format	CD
Original release date	2012-09-25
Edition	Standard Edition
Language	English
Is collectible	Y
Number of tracks	10
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Series title	Euge Groove - House of Groove COMPACT DISCS
Track listing	Knock! Knock! Who's There?, House of Groove, Fellowship Hall, God Bless You, Lampin' It, Old Edu (Old School), Indian Summer, Never Met a Woman (Like You), Faithful Central, It's Only Rain
Record label	Shanachie
Target audience	Adult
Composer	Euge Groove
Songwriter	Euge Groove
Music producer	Euge Groove
Number in series	1
Occasion	All Occasion
Track name	Knock Knock! Who's There?, House Of Groove, Fellowship Hall, God Bless You, Lampin' It, Old. Edu (Old School), Indian Summer, Never Met A Woman (Like You), Faithful Central, It's Only Rain
Duration	58.99 min
Digital audio file format	CD
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N