Urban Knights II

Urban Knights II is an album by the Urban Knights which was issued in 1997 on GRP Records. The album reached No. 5 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums Chart.[1][2]

Urban Knights II
Studio album by
Urban Knights
ReleasedApril 8, 1997
Recorded1996
GenreJazz
Length49:50
LabelGRP
ProducerMaurice White
Urban Knights chronology
Urban Knights I
(1995)		 Urban Knights II
(1997)		 Urban Knights III
(2000)

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
Jazz Times(favourable)[5]
Sun Herald(favourable)[6]

Jazz Times stated "With moods playful to passionate and players in a relaxed goodtime frame of mind, it’s a perfect party disc."[5] 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."[6] 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."[4] Jonathan Widran of Allmusic called the album a "Maurice White-produced exercise in easy funk and potent, machine generated urban grooves."[3]

Track listing
  1. "Scirroco" (Meyers, White) – 4:03
  2. "Get Up" (Lewis, Lewis, Randolph) – 3:47
  3. "Come Dance with Me" (Boyd, Lewis, Randolph) – 4:01
  4. "South African Jam" (Butler) – 4:51
  5. "Brazilian Rain" (Emory, Pleasure) – 4:19
  6. "Interlude #1" (Lewis) – 0:35
  7. "Summer Nights" (Meyers, Randolph, White) – 5:32
  8. "Tell Me Why" (Butler, Meyers, Williams) – 4:19
  9. "Urban Paradise" (Lewis, Lewis, Randolph) – 4:23
  10. "Drama" (Cornwell, Guillaume, Hawkins, Jones) – 3:47
  11. "Step by Step" (Lewis, Lewis, Randolph) – 4:01
  12. "The Promise" (Meyers, Vannelli, White) – 4:10
  13. "Interlude #2" (Lewis) – 2:02
  14. "Dawn" (Randolph) – 4:38

Charts
Album
Chart (1997) Position
Billboard Heatseekers Albums 48
Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums 5[2]

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

References
  1. Urban Knights: Urban Knights II. GRP Records. 1997.
  2. "Urban Knights: Urban Knights II (Top Contemporary Jazz Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  3. Widran, Johnathan. "Urban Knights II". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  4. Heckman, Don (May 25, 1997). "Smooth Sale-ing Ahead in the Contemporary Arena". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times.
  5. "Urban Knights: Urban Knights II". jazztimes.com. Jazz Times. September 12, 1997.
  6. Adderton, Don (May 16, 1997). "AZIMUTH TAKES ADVANTAGE OF VOCALS". newsbank.com. Sun Herald.
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