Lou Rawls - It's Supposed To Be Fun (1990/2020)

Alfred Lion would not have been pleased to have this CD on his Blue Note label. Lion rarely recorded vocalists (Sheila Jordan was one of the very few to lead her own session) and he would never have considered coming out with a soft soul-pop date like this 1990 session. The music is closer to lightweight country than to jazz and, although there are some notable cameos (by altoists Hank Crawford, Bobby Watts and Dick Oatts, the tenors of Eddie Harris, and Rick Margitza, trumpeter Jack Walrath and trombonist Steve Turre), Rawls' so-so vocals and the weak material dominate and sink the effort.