Al Jarreau: Heaven and Earth: CD

Heaven and Earth (1992) was Jarreau's first release since 1988 and was a lot more R & B oriented than previous efforts. This was probably due in part to the producer/arranger Narada Michael Walden who was one of the hot producers (for Whitney Houston, among others) at the time. The uptempo numbers - a Walden specialty - are the least impressive. The opener "What You Do To Me" is a fine dance track, but doesn't take advantage of Jarreau's immense vocal abilities, and the new jack swingin' "Blue Angel" and "Love Of My Life" would have both been better suited to any of the New Edition alumni. Jarreau shines brightest on the ballads. The title track and the soaring "If I Break" melodically showcased the stylish sensitivity in his voice, with the single "It's Not Hard To Love You" and "Superfine Love" utilizing Jarreau's vocal gymnastics best of all. On the latter, the orchestrations are challenging enough to push Jarreau's voice toward its limit yet still allow it to remain in the for