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review by Michael Debbage John Boswell has a nice even balance of soft piano instrumentation to smooth jazz mixes making for a pleasurable listen. Here, his label attempts to present an overview of his career with the appropriately titled Reflections Of John Boswell. The question remains as to whether it represents a complete image of the piano man [who] has been with the label since 1993. Although a recognizable name, Boswell has never quite broken through the barrier of commercial viability. My first introduction to this artist was back in 1995 when I had the opportunity to listen to his then-new release Kindred Spirits. It also featured several collaborations with saxophonist David Koz; thus the smooth jazz influences. For some reason, the album never shouted "Buy me" and I proceeded on my search for my next purchase. So, here I have the opportunity to revisit the music of John Boswell and without a doubt there is some good music present on this "best of" disc. Unfortunately, the label does not assist here, presenting the buying public with a very short compilation that only includes 10 tracks, which may or may not effectively present a strong overview of Boswell's recording career to date. Though the CD booklet is also skimpy, it is, at least, informative with appropriate discography and credits. According to the liner notes, Boswell has released six CDs including the Christmas album Festival Of The Heart that is not represented here. Meanwhile, Kindred Spirit is accounted for, courtesy of three tracks, which are "Waterfall," "Rikki's Dream" and the self-titled track. They all feature David Koz and they are the stronger tracks on the CD. A close second would be the tracks "One Night In Paris" and "The Promise Of Rain" both taken from his debut album Count Me In. The former features some fine acoustic guitar embellishments from Brian Keane that sits nicely next to Boswell's moody but romantic piano work. Speaking of moody, check out the closing track "The Promise Of Rain" that has a David Benoit-Earl Klugh temperament touch to it. This is largely due the unique blend of Boswell, Keane and Dave Mann on saxophone. This track and the previously mentioned seem to reflect the strengths of Boswell who appears to be more creative and adventurous with his smooth jazz explorations. Otherwise, the compositions tend to be more one dimensional with Boswell and his piano being the focus. And at times, this focus pays off, such as the delicate and fragile "Thanks." This song is a very introspective yet inspiring song. Unfortunately, this is largely the exception versus the rule. It would be fair to say that my lack of knowledge on this artist does not allow me to state whether Reflections of John Boswell is an accurate reflection of this artist. In contrast, there is no doubting that this is a satisfying aural experience. The pondering question is whether the best of John Boswell has already been heard or is the best yet to come? One can only hope the latter. |
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