In The Name Of Love

Album review

Smooth jazz wins adherents by sticking to a predictable course, not by innovation. A saxophonist like Kim Waters, then, attracts the label "the #1 saxophonist in Smooth Urban Jazz!" from his ability to bring a silky, straightforward interpretation to both known and new compositions, not by playing like John Coltrane. The opener, "Step in the Name of Love," will be familiar to radio fans from R. Kelly's hit version, while listeners with longer memories will appreciate a new version of Barry White's "Love's Theme." The majority of the material, however, has been written by Waters himself, from the mellow vibes of "Sunset" to the lengthy late-night groove of "All I Wanna Do (Is Please You)." Besides playing saxophone, Waters also helps out with the production and plays a number of other instruments. He's joined by guitarist Wayne Bruce, keyboardist Dave Darlington, and several others, but this is mostly Waters' show. It's only at the end of In the Name of Love that Waters stretches things out a bit, letting Davy D handle a remix of "The Ride." In the Name of Love delivers pretty much what fans have come to expect from Waters and the smooth jazz scene, and should please both fans and radio programmers.
© Ronnie D. Lankford Jr. /TiVo