Personnel: Rick Braun (trumpet, flugelhorn, drums, programming); Vanessa Falabella Donada (vocals); Dwight Sills, Marc Antoine (guitar); Richard Elliot (saxophone); Nick Lane (trombone); Philippe Saisse (keyboards, drums, programming, drum programming); Tim Gant (keyboards, drums, programming); Jeff Lorber (keyboards, programming); Ricky Lawson, Simon Phillips (drums); Luis Conte (percussion). Audio Mixer: Rick Braun. Liner Note Author: Rick Braun. Recording information: Ahhsum Studios; Brauntosoarus Studio; Phantom Recordings, Sherman Oaks, CA. Director: Maria Ehrenreich. Photographer: Lori Stoll. Rick Braun has built his career as a contemporary trumpeter based on the basic concepts of predecessors like Herb Alpert, Chuck Mangione, and Tom Browne. Dependent on urban R&B beats, Braun can only marginally be called jazz, but does own an appeal to the smooth music crowd that this produced recording will only reinforce. Teamed with keyboardist and producer Philippe Saisse, Braun follows a path of least resistance in terms of the calculated nature of his music and the simplicity of his melodies. Saisse adds synthesized sounds for the most part alongside Braun's overdubbed fl?gelhorn and muted trumpet to create soundscapes made of clear plastic and reflecting some prismatic colors. "Christiane" uses the two-horn approach effectively in a fairly lyrical setting, "She's the One" is easy-beat funk with plain synths and percussion, "Sleeveless in Seattle" sports a retro sound with handclaps, and "I Got Your Back" offers assimilated horn backing in more substantive ways. On the salsa side, "Tijuana Dance?" is a romp-and-stomp funk with some elegant acoustic and electric guitar, while "Puerto Allegre Jam" is a Latin disco number. "Freddie Was Here" might be appropriate for a film score in a slowed late-night dramatic or perhaps romantic theme. Perhaps the most interesting music crops up during the heavier "Ever Changing World," with Braun's two horns stretching ever so slightly from his lyrically urbane sound.

• Released: 07/28/2009
• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop