With the release in Japan of
The Jazzmasters featuring vocalist
Helen Rogers in 1991, English composer and synth master
Paul Hardcastle introduced a fresh hybrid of jazz and dance music that became an international phenomenon over the next decade and a half. The first
Jazzmasters disc received the NARM Bestselling Jazz Recording award and is one of the best-selling independent jazz records of all time; it stayed on
Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart for over a year. Alternating his annual output between five electronic-inflected
Jazzmasters recordings and four previous albums released as
Hardcastle,
Hardcastle 2, etc., the multifaceted artist -- whose worldwide sales top 11 million -- has amassed a total of seven number one contemporary jazz hits.
Hardcastle 5 is another cool, low-key, sensual urban pop-jazz delight, whose melodies, atmospheres, and easy grooves make it perfect background makeout music. There are a few touches of deeper exotica that create a nice balance and catch the ears between moods, most notably
"Marimba," which finds
Hardcastle approximating the sound of that instrument.
Hardcastle 5 is notable for introducing to his legion of fans two new and important performers. Soulful, ethereal vocalist
Becki Biggins lends her dreaminess to the four tracks she co-wrote with
Hardcastle, including the thoughtful, slightly melancholy
"Don't You Know" and the super-sexy
"Closer," which fans of the similarly toned
Robin Thicke could surely eat up. The last track proudly introduces 16-year-old saxophonist
Paul Hardcastle, Jr. into the mix with the younger musician's first recorded composition,
"Take 1," which sounds incredibly sophisticated for a track recorded as a demo in his bedroom! The younger
Hardcastle keeps the flow sweet and seductive, offering promise for an eventual solo career as a smooth jazz artist. While
Hardcastle 5 isn't breaking any real new ground for
Paul Hardcastle, it's still a splendid addition to the catalog. ~ Jonathan Widran
