From Blues & Soul Magazine
writer: Peter Black

BOBBY LYLE; Three Keys/Marimel

JOYFUL

Bobby Lyle has long been one of my very favourite piano men, yet he's still
to achieve wide acclaim despite an ongoing excellent output. "Joyful", Bob's
new 13 tracker, might be the LP to win that wider acclaim, since it ploughs
a smoother groove to his previous work. That said, it's groove-based
smooth - not bland-out-blancmange smooth. Indeed its so damn good that I'll
wager it'll rank as one of the year's best smooth jazz albums. Why is it so
good? Well for starters, Bobby's written some hugely melodic tunes;
secondly, he's carefully chosen a couple of classic covers and thirdly, his
status is such that he can call on some top names to enhance each and every
track. Featured here are Norman Brown, Paulinho da Costa, Larry Kimpl,
Everette Harp, Gerald Albright and Rick Braun. If that's not enough there's
even a vocal track featuring long time B&S hero Howard Hewitt. His cut is a
ballad, "Caught Up", which features a charming piano figure, but Hewitt's
soulful vocal is the big attraction. However, for my money, it's not the
best cut. That accolade could well go to "Give Me Your Heart" - a gentle
Norman Brown guitar led piece that evokes the best of Brezin' era George
Benson. Then again, the opener "You And I" is a classic smoothie, while
Bob's piano style on "Genie In A Bottle" is prime time Ramsey Lewis. To
hear the best concert grand though click to a treatment of "How Do You Keep
The Music Playing". With just a trio accompaniment, Lyle keeps the
arrangement simple and lets the melody do the work. It's a real delight - as
is the cover of Sade's "Sweetest Taboo" but then the whole album's a smooth
delight from start to end. Hugely recommended.

(RATING 5) (B.B)