Sept. 22, 2010

Prolific producer/guitarist Paul Brown shoots another gem our way on Sept. 28 with his latest, Love You Found Me, bearing all of his smooth, rather coolly laid-back trademark chops on his trusty Gibson L5 (there are some moments when he ushers in his old Fender Strat, as well, for a warmer, earthier feel).

The project is greatly refreshing and certainly all-Brown. Nothing oddly out of character leaps out at you, and that’s a really good thing. Some artists have such a good, stable “fit” that works so well with their audience that it just makes sense to stick with it, understanding that too much venturing beyond, while often a good thing, can also be detrimental when trying to remain identifiable.

The album opens with “Sugar Fish,” a laid-back groove with a nice lazy R&B feel featuring contributions from Greg Adams on flugelhorn and the lovely Jessy J on flute. “Toast and Jam” follows with a bit of a more stepped-up tempo and drive, again featuring Jessy J but on sax this time. The title track, with vocals by Brown, has, to me, an uncanny Van Morrison feel with a little James Taylor thrown in for good measure.  One very attractive track with a tight melody.

This CD features some heavy hitters as contributors (Richard Elliot, the aforementioned Jessy J and Greg Adam, Euge Groove, Marc Antoine, Al Jarreau, Philippe Saisse, just to name a few), and I guess it’s no surprise, considering the helping hand this great producer/guitarist has extended to probably each of them and then some.

There’s lots of great variety here.  Cases in point would be Strollin’,” the mid-tempo track with Richard Elliot, the funky, hook-tight “Let Me Love You” with Euge Groove (that Groove sax certainly works well with that Brown guitar to make for a completely hot piece, and the well-placed backing vocals add that “oomph”), the reunion with Marc Antoine and Brown on “Right Back At Ya” has a solid drive and is both sweet and natural. These guys do have that chemistry, as was clearly demonstrated in Foreign Exchange.

What better way to finish off such a fine project than with a finale with the great Al Jarreau? “Shine Shoes,” a glittering, jazzy up-tempo offering with all of the charm and flair of a Jarreau-fronted jam coupled with that charismatic guitar of Brown.

This album, as is usually the case with Paul Brown, is well put together. It took Brown a few years to decide that his was a gift not just to be shared directly with artists who would then convey it to the world but one that he needed to convey directly to the masses, but it was certainly well worth the wait. With Love You Found Me, he says “I’m particularly proud of this CD. I feel that it expresses my true musical self. My best yet.” Few will question that, I’m sure. — Ronald Jackson