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review by Michael Debbage Back in 1997, Craig Chaquico made the radical transition of departing from his rock and roll roots to the Smooth Jazz format courtesy of his solo debut Acoustic Highway. Seven albums later, including one compilation, Chaquico continues to be one of the flagship artists of the nationwide radio format on the Wave's Smooth Jazz genre. Midnight Noon represents Craig continuing to deliver with a few interesting twists. Chaquico secured his big break as the guitarist of Starship, who had evolved from the '60s hippie band Jefferson Airplane. Fronted by vocalist Mickey Thomas, Craig participated on the memorable yet dated Top 40 hits "We Built This City" and "Sara". By 1997, Chaquico was ready to explore new frontiers and released the interesting Higher Octave freshman effort Acoustic Highway. With the title track receiving bountiful airplay, I for one enjoyed the very unique soft nylon sound of his guitar and found the disc immediately enjoyable. However, the long-term effects were not as enduring and his second disc followed a very familiar format making it a safe yet enjoyable revisit. Since then I have lost track of this artist and was presented with the task of reviewing his latest endeavor Midnight Noon. Though I have no idea as to what has occurred between his projects, Chaquico continues to cling closely to the Smooth Jazz format that has made his solo career more famous than his rock and roll roots. Yet this album also shows some genre exploration the most notable being the jazz-fusion fueled "El Gato". Some additional electrical work is presented in the arrangement of the title track that also features prominent keyboard work from co writer and co producer Ozzie Ahlers. Along with soulful saxophone work of Kevin Paladini the composition has a very musky jazz club feel to it. Otherwise, Chaquico sticks with what he knows and is clearly comfortable with the Smooth Jazz format as exemplified in the opening track "Her Boyfriend's Wedding". The other bookend of the album "Outlaw In The City" follows his tried and true format that will keep his fans more than happy. That fact alone will surely make this another best seller. |
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