DESCRIPTION:
Mesmerized, Jay Soto's second release on the NuGroove label, features eleven self penned numbers and, with production credits on seven of them, is an indicator of his rapidly increasing musical maturity. Not only that, and doubly important in these stressful credit crunched times, Mesmerized is replete with the kind of sunshine sounds that are guaranteed to put a smile back on your face.

This feel good factor is immediately to the fore with the albums opening track, the delightful Fascination. It serves as a metaphor for everything that follows and in this respect is in the excellent company of the first track to go to radio, the aptly titled Groovalicious. A typical slice of Jay Sotos catchy Smooth Jazz is driven along by his funky playing and given depth by a brass section generated by Darren and Jason Rahn. Elsewhere, but with that same warm feeling, the Michael Broening produced Diggin It is funky, in the pocket and with all the rhythm and melody you will ever need. In fact, having won a Grammy in 2007 for his work on the George Benson hit Mornin, Broening has quite a pedigree and when he returns to lend his production magic to the onomatopoetic Sunday Smile the interplay it engenders between Soto and saxman Bryne Donaldson is nothing short of sensational. Broenings final contribution is for the almost indecently catchy A Love Like Mine for which Donaldson again comes up big and it is Mark Dolin on soprano sax who adds significantly to the sumptuously mid tempo Dreamsville.

Dolin is in equally fine form for the tantalizingly reflective Together At Last which Soto nails to perfection but, as he once more notches up the tempo, his intricate playing for the infectious title track combines with great backing vocals from Jodi Light to deliver a real Smooth Jazz stunner.

Soto uses Oasis to keep the groove decidedly electric and although Bayou Blues is incredibly tight it reverberates with an earthiness that is entirely appealing. That said, for an album that bursts with energy throughout, the appositely named Cacophony provides a fittingly off-the-chain finale. Into the bargain it finds nuGroove label mate Dominic Amato blowing up a storm on sax, Broening sounding great on organ and Mel Brown, as he does for the entire CD, making a massive impact on bass.

Mesmerized is a high octane collection of the highest order and further cements the position of Jay Soto in the major league of Smooth Jazz guitarists.

Buy CD:
http://www.amazon.com/Mesmerized-Jay-Soto/dp/B001VPJZI6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1268591854&sr=8-2