Steve Oliver | Radiant

Steve Oliver's new CD Radiant contains a collection of spiritually uplifting songs that celebrate life and music. While showcasing his fascinating mix of virtuoso guitar work, driving grooves and soulful singing, the album also exposes the artist's seemingly extraterrestrial ability to vocally create a virtual orchestra of instrumental sounds. While his previous recordings included numerous tracks featuring fairly lavish production, this time Oliver committed the project's design to a slightly scaled back approach placing much more of an emphasis on his guitar and voice. The album's opener "Feeling Good" is an absolute expression of it's title and will leave you in that exact frame of mind. Once set up for fun, you've gained passage to an Oliver trademarked musical voyage, so climb aboard and enjoy. As if asked to now hoist life's anchor and cast off all lines, the second cut, "Tradewinds", beckons our submission in a gentle breezy mode. Yet once underway the sails of this composition become full and the winds whistle a jam that funks up the decks and tricks out the rigging. After catching your breath, the artist's interpretation of Buffalo Springfield's classic "For What it's Worth" will leave you leaning against the mast, singing along, recalling the course of that day and pondering the current relevance of it's manuscript. Next up is "Good To Go," a track which joyfully transports us further toward the equator and into a sea of Latin/World Music. Schools of sizzling guitar passages and white caps laced with trippy vocal percussion are at every turn of the helm in this chart. Moving into calmer waters, the moody atmospheric gem "Shadow of The Moon" seemingly drifts in from the horizon and subtly gains our attention by featuring seductive soundings from Stevie Wonder's longtime trumpet player and studio confidant Steve Madeo. "Cool" is next on the log and brings aboard sax hero and former Al Jarreau first mate Michael Paulo. Teaming up with Captain Oliver, Mr. Paulo passionately assists in bringing us back to cruising speed while heading toward deeper waters. The infectious vocal and pop arrangement of "Bend or Break" follows and deeper waters it is. If ever there were a doubt as to Oliver's ability to circumnavigate the musical globe, this song will dispel any such yarn. The acoustic pleasures of "Across the Water", the buoyant and flowing "Reach the Sky", and "Shine", a track ably enhanced by the adventurous rhythmic patterns of Christian Poezach, all follow in splendid succession. Pulling into port, Oliver bids us retrospective farewell by delivering "Radiant Dreams", a poignantly poetic reflection on life's overall voyage and it's sometimes elusive treasures. Steve Oliver averages between 150-200 live gigs a year. Frequently billed at major music festivals as the "Special Guest Artist", Oliver has recently achieved "Headlining" status at many. Perhaps most notable would be his being selected to headline the 2005 Playboy Jazz Festival's Memorial Day presentation at the world famous Pasadena Rose Bowl. This artist is also receiving a good deal of international recognition these days. One such example is his being nominated, alongside genre superstars Chris Botti, Richard Elliot and superproducer/guitarist Paul Brown, as "Best International Artist" by the 2006 Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards committee.

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