Aside from the supergroup's first two albums, Fourplay and Between The Sheets, Heartfelt is undoubtedly the best yet. Released on the new label Bluebird, the group decided to take a new approach. They broke with their traditional method of writing all the songs in advance and then recording. For the CD Heartfelt, keyboard player Bob James, bassist / vocalist Nathan East, drummer Harvey Mason &
guitarist Larry Carlton - each also highly regarded solo artists - could enter the studio without any commercial pressure. In addition, they were also allowed to create most of the songs by means of improvisation, so that the tracks were created from nothing, as it were. The result, as can be heard on Heartfelt, shows a new side of the foursome, albeit within the limits of what is nowadays called 'Contemporary Jazz'. The strongest songs are those where one or two group members worked together, such as the title track influenced by Pat Metheny and Let's Make Love, sung by Nathan East in a velvety voice. (RM)more