::ALBUM REVIEW::

Follow Ben Tankard's lucrative musical career from his days at Tribute to his rise as one of the signature instrumentalists in modern gospel and you will notice his gradual fascination towards smooth jazz. Such strong demonstrations of that compassion can even be heard on "Piano Prophet" (2004) and "Song of Solomon" (2001). The strides Tankard make in revitalizing and altering positive R&B classics, such as "Ribbon In The Sky" and "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now", into relaxed adult contemporary jazz were strong indicators that Tankard would one day work on an entire smooth jazz album. And what's the problem with that? He's been performing it all along. And doing a good job at it also.

"Let's Get Quiet: The Smooth Jazz Experience" levels the playing field with nuggets of easy-listening slow jams and the occasional light-funk workouts. The album oozes with sensual Quiet Storm tranquility with its original title cut - penned by Ben Tankard, Jewel Tankard and Shelly Massey. The song musically and lyrically pulsates with the love-making vibes usually found on Isley Brothers late-night classics. The lyrics here tend to tease listeners on how to actually categorize the Christian identity, but if you listen cautiously you can actually feel within the message that the song is actually sung from God's perspective. Lead vocalist Shelly Massey, whom has appeared on previous Tankard releases, delivers the proof in the second verse: "Just the other day I had you on my mind/Used to tell me I was one of a kind/You used to praise, praise me every single day/Now you are too busy to say "Hey"".

Original cuts from Tankard give off the slick and highly polished sounds of Najee and Fourplay while showcasing minor glimpses into the modern jazz fusion creations of George Benson. Songs like "Week-End Forecast" (which exposes Tankard's swift, yet graceful wizardry on the boards), "Night Flight" and "Slow Jam W.R.E.N" wonders through layers of hypnotic sounds and therapeutic grooves. Don't expect any Big Band changes or major musical transitions to pop up - the songs usually end the way they began. "Remain Calm", bearing the girth of a Sade composition, might be the only exception; with its occasional chord breaks toward what feels like the song's bridge.

Tankard even takes a few jabs into R&B territory with careful remakes from some of the cool soulful tunes of the eighties. "Before I Let Go", a classic and a favorite jam recorded Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly, is tenderly reincarnated with Tankard's keyboard skill and light rhythms. The song fades swiftly; probably in fear of those that may challenge Tankard's decision to incorporate this juicy number on the album. But the music fits like a glove into the formatted style of choice. Patrice Rushen's "Remind Me" is also revived here and is lyric less, except for the soft whispers of background vocal support on the chorus from Massey. Probably the most befitting is the inclusion of "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" from the gospel recording years of Al Green. But it is hard to forgive how Tankard's arrangement on this feels generic in comparison to the original. With the usages of the ever-popular wind machine and sensitive drum programming, the song fails to live up to the reputation of the original and feels robbed when compared to the other remakes from Tankard.

Tankard, playing solo on the piano, arranges the C. Austin Miles' classic hymn "I Come To The Garden Alone", offers the album only one break from the smooth jazz setting. While the low density of the treble and the melody on the track may be a bit shallow, the song is presented with grace and is sure to place a welcoming smile of gratitude upon the faces of gospel traditionalists.

This record, a proposed and transparent showcase of the popular midnight-quiet storm experience, is probably a hunger resulting from Tankard more so than what his fans demand. It's inviting to hear this style on Tankard's musical skills, as previously mentioned, but one can easily notice the lack of live instrumentation or the absence of additional musician cooperation on "Let's Get Quiet: The Smooth Jazz Experience". Because most of the songs are programmed on keyboards, an eerie feeling of generic karaoke-tracked work can easily be interpreted here. It's great to hear Tankard duplicate the sounds of most instruments with his fingers on a handful of keyboards, but the human mind and ear isn't always tricked of its consciousness to notice the real thing from cheap carbon copies. Plus it's hard to call this a gospel record when looking at lyrical content alone; another strong disadvantage on this record. It's good music, but it's very hard to get this kind of music into rotation on gospel radio. It may be best to say that this album was aimed for adult contemporary or the obvious smooth jazz networks - or probably a warning of a possible recording career jump into mainstream jazz. "Let's Get Quiet: The Smooth Jazz Experience" may falter backwards from the artistic expressions of the thematic success of "Song of Solomon", the successful "Git Yo Prayze On" (1997) or the more recent "Piano Prophet", but it is consistent with the selected musical style of smooth jazz and further explores the cool nature of Tankard's musical abilities.