West Coast Coolin' is the sixth studio album by American jazz guitarist Norman Brown, released in 2004 by Warner Bros. Records.[1] The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums, No. 5 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums and No. 24 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums charts.[2]
| West Coast Coolin' | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 21, 2004 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:11 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | James Poyser, Paul Brown, Norman Brown, Jay Dee, Malik Pendleton, Vikter Duplaix, Brian Culbertson, Herman Jackson | |||
| Norman Brown chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
Woodrow Wilkins of All About Jazz wrote,
The guitarist/vocalist is a master of the laid-back groove, successfully bringing together elements of smooth jazz and contemporary R&B. On West Coast Coolin' , Brown consolidates his reputation as a premier recording and performing artist with a collection of ten tracks—written and co-written by the leader—that push the idea of "chillin'" to new heights.[4]
Thom Jurek of AllMusic commented,
Brown works with a host of producers, and his familiar smooth jazz underpinnings — derived more from George Benson and Hiram Bullock than Wes Montgomery these days — are present but not prevalent on most of the set. Instead, his slick nu-soul/nu-jazz singing style — identified by a thin whispery tenor — gets front and center on more than half the album's ten cuts.[3]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Might" | Chalmers Alford, Eric Benét, Vikter Duplaix, Pino Palladino, James Poyser | 04:50 |
| 2. | "Up 'n' At 'Em" | Christopher Bolden, Norman Brown, Wirlie Morris | 04:00 |
| 3. | "West Coast Coolin'" | Christopher Bolden, Norman Brown, Wirlie Morris | 04:31 |
| 4. | "Missin' You" | Christopher Bolden, Norman Brown, Wirlie Morris | 04:16 |
| 5. | "Come Over" | Eric Benét, Vikter Duplaix, James Poyser | 04:27 |
| 6. | "What's Goin' On" | Renaldo Benson, Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye | 04:39 |
| 7. | "Let's Play" | Christopher Bolden, Norman Brown, Wirlie Morris | 04:51 |
| 8. | "Right Now" | Norman Brown, Brian Culbertson, Stephen Lu | 03:56 |
| 9. | "Angel" | Malik Pendleton, James Poyser, James Yancey | 04:30 |
| 10. | "Remember the Time" | Norman Brown | 04:11 |
References
edit- ^ West Coast Coolin'. Warner Bros. Records. 2004.
- ^ "Norman Brown". Billboard. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "Norman Brown: West Coast Coolin'". AllMusic. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Wilkins, Woodrow (January 8, 2005). "Norman Brown: West Coast Coolin' album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved November 23, 2024.