To Love Again

To Love Again как продолжение альбома Ботти 2004 года When I Fall in Love

Presented as a sort of modern-day Chet Baker, trumpeter Chris Botti has the same Hollywood looks and so-cool attitude that made Baker a jazz hero in the late '50s. But these days, it seems like you're nobody unless you've got an all-star album on the shelves. Chris Botti certainly proves to be somebody worth knowing on his celebrity-fueled new disc, To Love Again. The acclaimed musician triumphantly follows the path paved by Carlos Santana, Ray Charles and, most recently, Herbie Hancock with this solid record. Having spent time in both Paul Simon's and Sting's touring bands, Botti is obviously very well connected and it shows here. As its title implies, To Love Again is essentially a sequel to his well received 2004 outing, When I Fall in Love, with more gorgeously lush and heartfelt orchestral jazz via the London Session Orchestra. This time showcasing guest vocalists – as well as a handful of instrumental tracks – Botti takes an even more classicist approach than before and once again brings to mind such iconic jazz albums as Clifford Brown with Strings and Miles Davis' Porgy and Bess.

Sting, Paula Cole, Michael Buble, Gladys Knight and Steven Tyler lend a hand

The A-list of entertainers who lend a hand includes Sting, Paula Cole, Michael Buble, Jill Scott, Gladys Knight and Steven Tyler. Producer Bobby Colomby has also surrounded Botti with some heavyweight jazz talent – drummer Peter Erskin, guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Robert Hurst. A lush string section tops off the production in true '60s fashion. Sting lends his distinctive voice to the lilting What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? and Paula Cole accompanies Botti on the gentle My One and Only Love. Aerosmith's Steven Tyler appears on the lush, string-laden Smile, an odd yet remarkably suitable departure for the raspy-voiced frontman. Michael Buble swings with a Sinatra swagger on Let There Be Love. Jill Scott sings a hip interpretation of Good Morning Heartache. Paul Buchanan expresses with breathy over-emotion on Are You Lonesome Tonight?, while Gladys Knight turns in a beautiful version of Lover Man. Young Renee Olstead sings an old song, Pennies from Heaven, with a hearty big band arrangement backing her. She, Botti, and the band swing with a jovial mood that contrasts with the rest of the program. Rosa Passos sings quietly with a hushed presence. The instrumental tracks – Embraceable You, What's New, To Love Again – are the absolute highlights of the album; not necessarily jazz, but jazz-tinged mood music of a vein similar to Anita Baker's work of the mid- and late 1980s.

Contemporary spin that rubs nicely against stylishly old-school arrangements

Part of the brilliance of the album is that, while it is classicist in tone, many of the vocalists come from the pop world and give the songs a contemporary spin that rubs nicely against stylishly old-school arrangements. But despite the added star power, the record is still Botti's show, as he reminds listeners with his smooth, atmospheric Chet Baker-inspired horn lines. His trumpet work is utterly gorgeous and warm on all the tracks. The quality of this album is also of very high engineering. Every sound is clear and to perfection. It is clearly a ballad album. Throughout the history of civilization, ballads have defined communication in its purest form. From the earliest sacred works to opera, folk, pop and rock, the ballad has always held its own. Ballads make the world go 'round. Botti communicates in that universal language that we've been talking about for ages. Chris Botti can be welcomed into every living room, every automobile sound system, and every portable set of earphones, because he communicates freely in a language that we can all understand.