A cool mixture of smooth enticing melodies and a bit of pop make this release, Table for 2, the fourth from saxophonist Marty Q, with help from producer Chris “Big Dog” Davis, a quality effort designed to introduce the artist in the highest possible light.  The effort doesn’t go unnoticed by this reviewer.

Marty Q, who has appeared on such albums as Shanachie’s Smooth Jazz Plays Motown’s Favorite Love Songs CD (he is featured on “My Girl”) and Vesta Williams’ Distant Lover CD, playing “Ooh Baby Baby,”  has had three other solo releases: Smooth Sax (2007), which was pretty replete with covers; Full Circle (2000), an easy listening collection also replete with covers; and Sentimental Christmas (1999). Nice exposure, but I think this production really gets at the heart of the artist’s ability to present some original and well-produced smooth goodies.  A bona fide sax player with a feel and touch just right for this genre, Marty Q reaches out to jazzers through a diverse set of tracks ranging from bouncy, soothing, and funky to the downright sexy and romantic.

The first two tracks settle into the smooth jazz groove nicely, while track 3’s rather pop-flavored “True Blue,” featuring vocalist Leila, turns on  a soul-deep reflective and heart-warming (almost melancholy) mood and speaks of how one may not know what to make of this world but he/she knows that they can’t make it without that special someone.  It’s always so refreshing to hear such utterings of devotion and love in a world where such emotions are constantly being trounced by self-serving interests.  Nicely done and very timely. That peaceful piece is followed by a jarring version of the Queen of Soul’s "Chain of Fools." 

The suave and gliding “New Beginnings” has Marty Q making that special kind of statement, that love chant via his throaty soprano sax and some mellow backing vocals in a funky mid-tempo setting.  Now, if you want to talk “suave,” you’ve gotta make way for the following saucy and romantic little track, which features the timeless crooner, Phil Perry, a tune called “I Need You.” This guy just gets better with each studio visit or concert outing. Give a nod to Marty Q’s version of the classic “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me.”  Kinda takes you back to the Temptations and Supremes pulling off that gem back when soul was the king. The track that immediately follows, “Eclipse,” is an upbeat straight-ahead ditty that serves as a mild diversion and a display of Marty Q’s comfort in that area.

Two more covers follow, Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” and Eric Carmen’s “All By Myself.”  Both are done with great attention to quality. The album wraps up with and a bonus track of “True Blue.”

Overall, this effort is loaded with all the pearls one expects in order to dub this an effective smooth jazz venture. Here, Marty Q warms the heart, excites the soul, and upholds the promise of good smooth jazz at the hands of one who can handle that special responsibility with a comforting level of…comfort. -- Ronald Jackson