It's back to the Fifties for the music industry -- all about singles again. Some artists don't even bother to put out an album until they get at least one hit from their current crop of songs. Thankfully Jon Cobert didn't wait. He's packed his CD, "He Has a Hat," chock full of breakout, Adult Contemporary and Smooth Jazz tunes. Cobert laid down most of the basic tracks himself. Other "frosting" musicians include Mark Fineberg and Mark Rivera (sax), Tim Ouimette (trumpet, trombone), Katie Mac and Sherryl Marshall (backing vocals), Bernie Williams, Peter Calo, Gil Parris (guitar), Kip Sophos (bass), and Joe Piteo (drums).
At one of his gigs, Jon Cobert explained to me that some of these songs go back thirty years and that he had previously recorded many of them with past bands. But he felt the time right to get them down without compromise. Since most deal with love, let's start on the positive tip with the following standouts. In the romantic ballad, "Kiss of Your Love," Cobert coos, "Give me just a kiss of your love and that's enough to keep me satisfied. A glass of wine, you by my side, that's all I need." The instrumental, "Murphy's Tune" harks back to the Barry White Seventies and Love Unlimited Orchestra's "Love's Theme." But Cobert updates the sound with a Smooth Jazz electronic groove. Simon and Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound" gets deliciously funked up with the help of Kip Sophos, Joe Piteo, and Gil Parris. Another pocket instrumental, "Lava Flies, gets the sublime Chuck Mangione dance treatment featuring Tim Ouimette's horn.
Of course, every romance hits some speed bumps. In "Wasting My Time," Corbet puts on his best Randy Newman, "Short People" hat and proclaims "How will it wind up when you make your mind up, if you'll be staying with your man. Because every morning when I wake up, I still can't see beyond the makeup. Please stop wasting my time." Cobert doesn't know where his love will end up in "Waiting for the Rain." But he's got a bad feeling. "Do I wait for you to make a move or ask you to reveal whatever's come between us that you're trying to conceal. What will we do when it's over? She's gone by the time Cobert sings the wistful, jaunty "Back to Me." He just pines for the obvious. The sweet melodica solo nods to Stevie Wonder's big chromatic harmonica.
Only time will tell if Jon Cobert can launch one or more hits from this inspired collection. But he still comes out on top if he attracts an established singer to cover a tune or draws more musicians to record at Cobert Operations Studio. Any way you slice it, it's win-win!
©2018 Roger Zee