The allure of smooth jazz is frankly inescapable. It permeates through the quilt of what is universally regarded as ‘proficient music’, and has somehow lent itself as the soundtrack to certain forms of qualia- be it mixed media from the late 80s to the early 90s, or through a resurgence within the deep house subgenres of South Africa and Mozambique with smooth jazz influencing amapiano, Sgija as well as the ‘private school’ genre. It’s not hard to understand why. You get a chill atmosphere, mixed with a flair of sophistication and enough musical variability to fuel your ears and enrich your listening experience. In today’s review, an artist named Randy Sloan delivers just that with his newest single, ‘It’s A Vibe’.
Randy Sloan spent several years on the West Coast of the United States playing and performing in rock and Top 40 acts while honing his own special craft. Being a multifaceted artist, his interest in smooth jazz led to him being influenced by guitarists such as Jeff Golub, Chris Standing as well as Norman Brown. He then relocated to the Dallas, Texas area, making a name for himself in the smooth jazz world by playing at luxury hotels, cocktail lounges, wineries as well as private functions.
In this debut single of his, an infectious melody emerges combined with the joint effort of Randy’s guitar work as well as Ner De Leon’s soulful saxophone. It aims to captivate, quickly gaining traction with online radio stations as well as streaming platforms. Let’s evaluate the song and find out if it matches what it aims to deliver.
The song begins with a strong couple of beats, before emerging into the soundscape itself. As soon as it starts, it just emanates the feel of funk, sophistication, chillness as well as effortlessness all in one. The piano provides a sense of delicateness as well as tenderness within the song, with the rhythm and licks of the guitar giving the feel of sophistication as well as funk. The saxophone definitely provides the song with a stronger tone, helping to balance out the various timbres competing for your attention within this song.
I like the juxtaposition of various countermelodies within the song, as it plays out while having points of synchronization. This gives the song space for motivic variation without necessarily making the song sound disjointed or out of place. The guitar solo in the midst of the song is extremely dynamic, almost giving a strange baroque feel to the way the notes are played itself. As usual, the saxophone solo (as with most smooth jazz songs) provides a sense of familiarity as well as flare to the song.
This song is very multidimensional to my ears- it comforts me, soothes me, but also excites me and gears me up to face the world with a distinct attitude. It is also very Trammell Starks-esque in its composition. The slight call-and-response between the guitar and the saxophone also give the song a bit of excitation towards the end, before converging at a point. The production in this song is also top-notch, with all of the instruments mastered crisply. Nothing sounds out of place or badly mastered at all.
If this is a debut single, I am quite impressed by how well this song was crafted and executed. I certainly hope for more, and I hope you feel the same way after listening to this wonderful track. Highly recommended.
Score/Excellent: If you’re used to the style of Trammell Starks as well as Brian Culbertson, ‘It’s A Vibe’ is definitely a vibe. For a debut release, it is mastered and composed extremely proficiently, providing you with a multidimensional and elevated smooth jazz experience.
[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]
Check Randy Sloan out on his website
or,
Follow him on Facebook and Instagram
