I liked Jerome Lee and his music as soon as I heard this Jazz/Funk/RnB/Soul release (his first, I think). The music just exudes a happy-live-and-let–live vibe that makes you want to hug the guy who made it all up.

Lee has had a peripatetic life having lived in many American cities, Japan and Europe. Like a lot of serious working musicians, he’s worn a lot of hats in a lot of different milieus. I assume his well rounded resume accounts for the cosmopolitan, man-of-the-world atmosphere of this CD.

A musician who plays a supporting instrument (bass in this case) try to prove their virtuosity by lengthy, complicated solos. Lee is too much of a professional for that. His bass work fits right into the mix without trying to overpower anyone else on the stage. The seams are invisible and the listener isn’t distracted by glaring bass passages. The production values are so good that you don’t even pay attention to them; there’s nothing that sticks out.

Lee’s voice seems a little strained at times, as though he’s singing a bit out of his range. But even this vocal style fits in with the overall feel of the release and no one but a voice nut like me would notice it.

The song lyrics are um…nice. There’s nothing groundbreaking in subject matter or style, but they’re still worth listening to over and over again. Lee speaks from the heart and you can tell he’s sincere. Listeners should go to his site and read his descriptions of the songs; there’s no canned PR blether; just honesty.

Lee is a master musician and songwriter. Why did he wait so long to produce his own CD? Recommendation - Buy it.
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\'Prettiest Girl\' is an unpretentious cat-call ~ Jerome Lee pulls off the neo-soul sound with an outstanding blend of thick, funky, uncompromising slap and what comes off as a Vandross on Steroids approach. This is gooood stuff. As the playlist begins to take form with \'Monkey Slide\' I can see the versatility of the group. \'Monkey Slide\' is a fat jazz that makes no excuses. Some might call it experimental...ahem ~ that\'s what jazz is in it\'s most pure form. \'Reach\' is an endearing search for something completely external and is presented as a lovely bottom end, that would put many woofers to good use ~ and so as not to completely ignore the tweets Jerome Lee offers up some tubular bell work - this creates a great hardy tinny sweep. I absolutely dig the euphoric feel of this tune.

\'In my heart\' incorporates some very sweet sax and very clean bass lines ~ a touch of tamborine and some more of the delicious tubular bell accents. The guitar work rounds this piece out as complimentary and only appears where absolutely necessary.

\"Druk Op De Een\" or \"Press On The One\" ~ Yes, Yes, Yes. This song just kicks.

There are three more songs on this site...But, I am not going to spoil it for you. This is more than a listen...I highly recommend you crank this work and really get in to what is going on.
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Review for the song “Prettiest Girl” -

  Very good song, good blend of soulful and latin rhythms. 
Lyrics are timely, positive, and upbeat.

Staff Team
Geerayrecords Review - July 16, 2007


  Review for the song “Reach” -

  I thought this song was excellent. Great lyrics, rhythm and beat. I like the hook and I think it will appeal to all audiences. 

Staff Team

Geerayrecords Review - July 16, 2007
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