[.ca] Fingerprints

From Amazon.com:
Everyone is grateful to have Larry Carlton among us, a gifted and imaginative guitarist who survived a gunman's bullet in 1988. Sometimes, though, we wish the old Larry Carlton were still with us, the spark-spraying fusionist whose nimble flights of fancy electrified recordings by the Crusaders and Steely Dan ("Kid Charlemagne" from Royal Scam) as well his own solo works throughout the 1970s and into the mid-1980s. The appeal of the smooth-jazz gravy train has defused much of Carlton's incendiary inventiveness, a conviction reinforced by the unruffled textures etched into Fingerprints, Carlton's 20th career recording. Those textures, though, are faithful to the album's apparent intent--to create a velvety-smooth soundtrack for late-night romance. No jarring oddities here, just sweetness and seduction throughout. Guests include smooth-jazz vets Abraham Laboriel, Kirk Whalum on sax, Jerry Hay on horns, Michael McDonald for a lone vocal track ("'Til I Hurt You"), and Vince Gill, who duets transparently on "Gracias." The pick of the litter: the closing track, "Crying Hands," an expressive bit of slow-dance finesse that merits repeated listenings. --Terry Wood

Soulful playing survives format restrictions:
I'm a guitarplayer myself, and I too have the ability to tell stories even with a single note. Like many of the reviewers I find smooth jazz a bit limited. But that doesn't mean that the guitar playing on this album is limited. I could live without some of the sax phrases and chimey keyboard sounds, but a good guitar rewards me for that. And I would not judge any musician for being commercial. Remember George Benson in the late 70ies? The purists went mad. Who pays the players who work their\orears\cof? Definately not the purists. The music scene has changed since we have format radio. So if it comes to smooth jazz, listening to Larry Carlton still makes me smile.

Carlton is a Must in ANY GUITARIST Collection!!!:
This is one of my Favs'Larry Carlton Albums. Just BUY IT !!! U won't regret it !!! Relaxing,Excellent Composition,well...what a dream...!!! I don't Understand there's not one single album of Anthony Papa Michael at Amazon???...I really don't get it :( U will Love his Music too !!!

An exceptional contemporary jazz LP:
"Fingerprints" is one of Carlton's best studio releases. There is an extraordinary attention to melody and phrasing. The majority of the tracks are mellow, but not slight, and are warmly bathed in an enriching atmosphere. While Carlton is certainly at the forefront, the chemistry between all band members provides for an exceptional platform from which the guitarist is able to leap foreward and network his solos with saxophonist Kirk Whallom on tracks like "The Storyteller" and guitarist Vince Gill on "Gracias." The former is a poignant, if slightly tragic, piece that reveals a story deeper than poetry would suffice to express, while the latter stands out from the rest as a solely acoustic-guitar based number that rises with one of those melodies a musician only discovers once a career. Of course, Carlton's been writing memorable melodies his entire life, but certainly in terms of contemporary "smooth jazz," the songs here are built upon firm, and complex, musical foundations that will move listeners beyond simply wanting to spend latenight hours going to sleep to it. Those who dismiss "Fingerprints" as a sellout to the industry clearly haven't been listening to the music itself. Along with Fourplay's "Heartfelt," this LP is one of the strongest accomplishments of contemporary jazz.

Some real highlights here:
This is the first Larry Carlton CD I've listened to, so I can't compare it to others. However, for listenable smooth jazz, this has some really good moments. The first three cuts struck me as better than average background music, with some good saxophone by Steve Cole on "Silky Smooth" and Kirk Whalum on "The Storyteller". However, "'Til I Hurt You" with Michael McDonald's vocal definitely is my kind of blues. Again, Steve Cole came through with some good sax on "All Through the Night", followed by, to me, a rather bland "Lazy Susan". However, I thought the CD really came to life with "Chicks With Kickstands", great work from Kirk Whalum and Larry, some real intensity while remaining in the realm of smooth jazz. And then the duet with Vince Gill produces some really good moments. And to cap it off, there's "Crying Hands", carried mainly by Larry with good keyboard, bass, drum and percussion accompaniment, the absolute best of the CD for me. Like I say, I can not compare this with his earlier work because I haven't heard it, but this smooth jazz album does make me want to hear some of his heavier work.

Larry Carlton's Master Fingerprints:
It's amazing how a real "Music Master" like Larry could get even better with time and "Fingerprints" is a good signal about that. His ability to compose and his performance on guitar has shown again, why he is considered one of the best jazz players actually. All the tracks are pretty good but I must say that "Crying Hands" is out of reality and discovers Larry's sensibility to express something deep and untouchably beautiful. There is also a great surprise when hearing Michael McDonald voice on one track. This is an album to hear hundred times and you'll never get bored of it....

• Fingerprints
• Silky Smooth
• Storyteller
• 'Til I Hurt You
• Slave Song
• All Thru the Night
• Lazy Susan
• Cicks With Kickstands
• Gracias - Larry Carlton, Vince Gill
• Crying Hands