Urban Knights II
1997 studio album by Urban Knights
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Urban Knights II is the second studio album by the jazz group Urban Knights released in 1997 on GRP Records. The album reached No. 7 on the US Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and No. 24 on the UK Top Jazz Albums chart.[1][2][3]
| Urban Knights II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 8, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 49:50 | |||
| Label | GRP | |||
| Producer | Maurice White | |||
| Urban Knights chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Los Angeles Times | [5] |
| Jazz Times | (favourable)[6] |
| Sun Herald | (favourable)[7] |
Jazz Times stated "With moods playful to passionate and players in a relaxed goodtime frame of mind, it’s a perfect party disc."[6] Don Adderton of the Sun Herald wrote "When you surround a master artist with a strong supporting cast, usually great things happen. On this second outing, Ramsey Lewis scores big on Urban Knights II (GRP)." Adderton added "Still the master craftsman, Lewis leads this all-star aggregation rampaging into funk, jazz, rhythm-and-blues and Latin-flavored ballads."[7] Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times found that "The music that results can perhaps best be described as rhythm & jazz--bits and pieces of improvising from Lewis and the horn players juxtaposed against insistent, funk-driven rhythms. South African Butler, especially on the tracks in which he sings (“South African Jam” and “Brazilian Rain,” especially), brings a seductive world-music ambience to the proceedings."[5] Jonathan Widran of Allmusic called the album a "Maurice White-produced exercise in easy funk and potent, machine generated urban grooves."[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Scirroco" | Bill Meyers, Maurice White | 4:03 |
| 2. | "Get Up" | Ramsey Lewis, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 3:47 |
| 3. | "Come Dance with Me" | Karen Boyd, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 4:01 |
| 4. | "South African Jam" | Jonathan Butler | 4:51 |
| 5. | "Brazilian Rain" | Sonny Emory, Morris Pleasure | 4:19 |
| 6. | "Interlude #1" | Ramsey Lewis | 0:35 |
| 7. | "Summer Nights" | Bill Meyers, Jimi Randolph, Maurice White | 5:32 |
| 8. | "Tell Me Why" | Jonathan Butler, Bill Meyers, Kevin Williams | 4:19 |
| 9. | "Urban Paradise" | Ramsey Lewis, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 4:23 |
| 10. | "Drama" | James Cornwell, Kevin Guillaume | 3:47 |
| 11. | "Step by Step" | Ramsey Lewis, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 4:01 |
| 12. | "The Promise" | Bill Meyers, Ross Vannelli, Maurice White | 4:10 |
| 13. | "Interlude #2" | Ramsey Lewis | 2:02 |
| 14. | "Dawn" | Kevin Randolph | 4:38 |
Charts
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[8] | 7 |
| US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)[2] | 5 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) | 48 |
| UK Jazz Albums (Official Charts Company)[3] | 24 |
Personnel
- Gerald Albright – soprano saxophone
- Najee – flute, saxophone, soprano saxophone
- Frayne Lewis – keyboards
- Ramsey Lewis – piano, electric piano
- Mike Logan – keyboards
- Bill Meyers – synthesizer, backing vocals, Fender Rhodes
- Jimi Randolph – synthesizer
- Kevin Randolph – keyboards, synthesizer bass
- Jonathan Butler – guitar, vocals, backing vocals
- Sheldon Reynolds – guitar, backing vocals
- Morris Pleasure – bass
- Chuck Webb – bass
- Verdine White – bass
- Sonny Emory – drums
- Tony Carpenter – percussion
- Paulinho Da Costa – percussion
- Karen Boyd – backing vocals
- Carl Carwell – backing vocals
- Theresa Davis – backing vocals
- Valerie Mayo – backing vocals
- Maurice White – backing vocals
- Maggie Brown – female vocal on “Come Dance with Me”