Glow

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1940, Al Jarreau was an artist who seemed to embody the crossover era. If Michael Franks leaned toward the singer-songwriter side in the 1970s, Jarreau stood closer to soul. His Grammy honours across jazz, pop and R&B tell their own story. He continued to work without needing categories.

This second major-label album for Reprise contains five covers and four originals, drawing broadly on Antonio Carlos Jobim, James Taylor and Sly Stone. Yet there is little real distance between the covers and his own songs: whatever he sings, he can dye it in his own colours, and that shows his character as a vocalist.

Tommy LiPuma produces. With Larry Carlton, Wilton Felder and Joe Sample giving the performances a light touch, one can hear Jarreau singing as though basking in the soft afternoon sun.