Lee Ritenour - Rit (Lp) (1981) - €10,00

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Lee Mack Ritenour (born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s.
Session ace Lee Ritenour once more employs the cream of L.A.’s studio crop to come up with a drab, utterly unimaginative slab of nondescript pop. 

With guest vocalists like Eric Tagg and Bill Champlin (who also contribute as composers), Ritenour and his cohorts — among them Jeff Porcaro, Harvey Mason, David Foster, Alex Acuña, and Richard Tee — craft a pristine sonic foray into early-’80s production styles without a memorable song in ten. 
This is especially exasperating considering that Ritenour had the audacity to cover Sly Stone‘s “(You Caught Me) Smilin'” and murder it. Simply lifeless and dreadful.

This sort of music was America when I was 13 or 14. In my daydreams, I was scooting along the West Coast in a Pontiac, top down, loud music playing, palm trees – you know the drill. Had I been watching too much ‘Knight Rider’ and ‘Moonlighting’ and listening to too much Steely Dan? Quite possibly…

Although early Ritenour albums had been tricksy fusion, more in line with what George Duke or Alphonso Johnson were doing, Rit saw him concentrate on collaborations with gifted Stevie-meets-Fagen vocalist/songwriter Eric Tagg. 

To this writer’s ears, George Michael very definitely checked out Mr Tagg. The track ‘Is It You’ got to number 15 in the singles charts and features one of the great middle-eights of the era:
Drum fans will enjoy Rit too; the great Jeff Porcaro plays a blinding shuffle on ‘Mr Briefcase’ (another pop hit from the album) and produces a classic rock performance on ‘Good Question’. 
According to Wikipedia, MTV broadcast the videos of ‘Mr Briefcase’ and ‘Is It You’ during its first day on air (1st August 1981)!

When things get too mellow, Ritenour always seems to know when to insert a spicy solo (in the days when he delivered high-octane jazz/rock playing a la Santana or Larry Carlton).
The instrumentals are an appealing mixture of early ’80s technology (Linn LM-1 abundant) and the sparky funk of Abe Laboriel’s bass playing and Don Grusin’s soulful Fender Rhodes. And Jerry Hey’s horn arrangements are instantly recognisable and a great addition.


Side A
A1.  Mr. Briefcase - 3:20
A2.  (Just) Tell Me Pretty Lies - 4:13
A3.  No Sympathy - 4:43
A4.  Is It You? - 4:25
A5.  Dreamwalk - 1:43

Side B
B1.  Countdown (Captain Fingers) - 4:21
B2.  Good Question - 3:41
B3.  (You Caught Me) Smilin´ - 4:08
B4.  On The Slow Glide - 4:10
B5.  No Sympathy (Reprise) - 1:56


Companies, etc.

Credits

Notes
Release: 1981
Format:  LP
Genre:  Crossover Jazz, Jazz Instrumental
Label:  Elektra Records
Catalog#  ELK 52273

Vinyl:  Excellent
Cover:  Excellent

Prijs: €10,00

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