The Smooth Side of Soul features Najee at the peak of his form. Highlights include Najee's romantic re-imagining of the Ne-Yo snash "When You're Mad", his collaboration with R&B icon Phil Perry on the upbeat "Just to Fall In Love", the funky "Foo Foo She Lollipop" and much more.

Day By Day by Najee

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Sometimes making music is all about the mechanics - balancing the melody with the harmony and the rhythm, making sure the tempo is right from the beginning of the song to the end, matching the right vocalist to the story within the lyrics, knowing when to come in with the solos and when to hang back...the litany of technical details to consider in crafting a piece of good music can be endless. But sometimes the process is much more intuitive and effortless. Sometimes the planets line up and the right groove emerges on its own, and all anyone needs to do - musicians and listeners alike - is get on board and ride into a realm of limitless possibilities.

That intuitive approach is at the heart of Mind Over Matter. In addition to Najee's fine balance of songcraft and musicianship, the album also includes songwriting and guest appearances by keyboardist Jeff Lorber and vocalists Eric Benét and Gary Taylor. The album title, says Najee, is inspired by Miles Davis' approach to songwriting, especially in the latter part of his career. "In his later years, he took a very loose and improvisational approach," he says. "He would start with nothing more than a groove that Marcus Miller or some other member of his band would lay down. And from there he would just develop these melodies that were very simple but at the same time very compelling and very memorable. It was a creative process that bypassed the nuts and bolts of the song and just got right to the essence of it."

Whatever the groove - be it R&B, neo-soul, contemporary jazz or an intriguing blend of all these styles and more - Mind Over Matter adds another layer of sophistication and polish to Najee's substantial and diverse body of work. "Whenever I go into the studio, I try to make a record that's a little different from the last one," he says. "I want people to get the same Najee that they're familiar and comfortable with, but at the same time, I want them to hear something fresh, something interesting, something unpredictable - with a couple extra voices in the mix that they haven't heard on my records in the past."

Compact Disc

Saxophonist Najee, the two-time Grammy nominee and a pioneer of the rhythm and jazz movement of the late ‘80s and ‘90s, continues to shed new light on the contemporary jazz scene with Rising Sun. Always the innovator, Najee blends various shades of straightahead as well as contemporary jazz, classic R&B and even indie rock on this new ten-song set. The result is an album that’s destined to appeal to established fans of his multi-layered groove as well as listeners who are meeting the artist for the first time. The idea was to try to do something a little different from before, says the New York native. But the challenge in that is to always stay true to my own creative identity at the same time. People who are familiar with me and my music have certain expectations, but I’m always looking for something that’s going to make people say, ‘Hey, this is a little different. This is something fresh.’Contributing to this fresh perspective is a coterie of talented songwriters and session players. Producer Chris Davis, who first teamed up with Najee on his previous Heads Up release, returns to the production helm on Rising Sun, and offers numerous songwriting credits as well. Najee also co-authors two tracks with labelmate and Pieces of a Dream keyboardist and songwriter extraordinaire James Lloyd. In addition, the saxophonist borrows a couple songs from the old school as well as the new one from veteran jazz flutist James Moody and another from reigning indie rock songwriter/guitarist John Mayer.

Jerome Najee Rasheed has used a combination of soprano and tenor saxophones, flute, keyboards, and more to become one of the success stories of smooth-jazz radio. Fittingly, his fifth major recording, Morning Tenderness, is a buttery-soft assortment of R&B-flavored lite jazz intended to meld quickly and easily into the ears. For fans of smooth jazz and its more urban-influenced predecessor, the Quiet Storm, you may be hard-pressed to find a more agreeable, easy-on-the-ears collection of soft soul and gentle saxophone than on this carefully crafted recording. Smooth-jazz artists typically focus on one of two themes, seduction or relaxation, and, as the title suggests, this 10-track collection serves as a soundtrack for slow Sunday mornings and breakfast-in-bed contentment--music for days when you're riding down Easy Street on cruise control. Najee's admiration for Stevie Wonder is evident in several tracks, particularly "Indian Summer" and the flute-based "Just for You." Seven of the album's tracks feature breathy background vocals as Najee strategically shuffles moods, instruments, and textures. "Room to Breathe," where Najee delivers huskier tones and more soulful playing, is the album's most attractive cut. --Terry Wood