I'm always excited when a new Kirk Whalum CD is released.  Kirk is, no doubt, one of the greatest sax players of our time, and the man's CDs spend a lot of time in my CD players and iPod.  I told several friends of mine awhile back that Kirk could do a cover of the phonebook and make it sound good.  Whalum has shared his music and his soul with us for 23 years with 17 multi-genre albums.  So I was excited when Roundtrip was announced. 

The press release reads, "The album is a progressive retrospective, looking at the past with an eye toward the future.  Roundtrip includes re-imaginings of some of his biggest radio hits, new and/or previously unrecorded compositions that chart the evolution of his heart-warming style, and a pair of especially fresh pieces that meld Contemporary Jazz with spoken word and hip hop."

In all honesty, the first time I heard Roundtrip, I was disappointed.  I just didn't feel it.  But I understand the subjective nature of connecting with a piece of music, and owing the man his due, I listened to it again.  I couldn't decide if it was the mix, or what, but it still didn't grab me.  Now, I wouldn't give many artists a third chance.  For most, after not connecting the second time, I'd just set it aside and move on to something else.  But Kirk isn't most artists.  So I downloaded it to my iPod and absorbed with it for a few days.  I'm glad I did.  Sometimes we just need to be still and let the music flow around us for a while.  Most of the time, we're just too busy to do that… at least we think we are.  But this was one of those great reminders to slow down a little and enjoy the good stuff.  I can now say wholeheartedly that I love this album.

The concept behind this album is great.  Any of us "over forty" folk understand how our past influences our present, how quickly the present blends into the past, and how embracing them both guide us into the future.  So Kirk takes that Roundtrip journey with this project. 

I'm not going to go track-by-track, I'm going to leave that to you, but some of the highlights for me are the title track, which features the Whalum family (brother Kevin, uncle Hugh "Peanuts", son Kyle, and nephew Kenneth);  "Back In The Day" (featuring another favorite saxman, Gerald Albright, and Whalum's cousin Caleb Tha Bridge); "In A Whisper" (featuring Kim Fields – this one would feel right at home in a Tyler Perry movie); and "Afterthought" (pure Whalum).

Go ahead… book your Roundtrip.                    

- Elizabeth Ware