Jealous Night

On Push & Pull, Ueda had brought a deep groove and a mellow touch into balance. His first album after moving to CBS/Sony heads somewhere tougher. A forceful reggae beat arrives almost without warning, and much of the album takes on a stronger rock character through Akira Inoue's arrangements.

The title track is the exception that joins the two sides of his music. Its swaying rhythm recalls Grover Washington Jr.'s “Winelight,” while Ueda's husky voice sweetens the edges. It is a reminder that even as his sound was changing, he had not left that earlier melodic instinct behind.