Chuck Mangione - The Feeling's Back (2004) [SACD]

Chuck Mangione laid low throughout much of the '90s, perhaps the end result of a disappointing string of albums for Columbia during the '80s. He returned to the road in 1997 and evidently it was a positive experience, since he returned to the studio the following year to cut The Feeling's Back. For all intents and purposes, The Feeling's Back is a comeback album, finding Mangione returning to the smooth, melodic style of Feels So Good, but laying off the sappy pop tendencies that dogged his '80s efforts. Although the end result is a little monotonous -- many of the tracks are quiet and slowly swinging, blending together into one long track -- it's charmingly laid-back, mellow and melodic, all of the things that brought Mangione fame and fortune in the '70s. There isn't a whole lot in the way of "real" jazz here -- the solos are extensions of the themes, and they never stand apart from the lite groove -- but this has the "feeling" that Mangione fans have been waiting to feel again. And that's enough to make it a successful comeback. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine