Steve Oliver - 3D (2004)

With two simple and inspiring words, Steve Oliver perfectly captured the brilliantly sunny, joyfully optimistic vibe of his music and life with the title of his 2002 breakthrough release Positive Energy. Establishing the smooth, funky and ultra-soulful guitarist and vocalist (and, to his fans delight, a human drum machine and percussion choir) as a bona fide smooth jazz star, the album hit the Billboard Top 20 on the strength of the #3 radio single High Noon (one of the most played songs of the year), earned him Smooth Jazz Awards nominations for Best New Artist and Best Guitar Player, and kept him close to his pace of 200 live gigs a year.

Look for the accolades, airplay and a spirited blend of deep musicality and fun to continue as Oliver enters an exciting new dimension on his appropriately titled third album, 3-D. As with Positive Energy and my debut album First View (1999), my titles always reflect the vibe of the music and where I am in my career and my life, he says. Calling it 3-D reminds listeners that it s my third disc and it s very three dimensional musically, rhythmically and harmonically. I m always incorporating new sonic ideas and seeing how I can explore more exotic styles while keeping my core sound. There s a real contemporary flavor here that touches upon my love for electronica music, and I m venturing into more samba grooves and some lush orchestral flavoring on the closing vocal track See You Soon. I may be doing some different things musically, but the overall energy is still uplifting and positive.

Co-producing for the first time with keyboardist Tom Schuman, a founding member of superstar instrumental group Spyro Gyra who contributed to two songs on Positive Energy, Oliver balancing nine instrumental tracks with three compelling and soulful lead vocal cuts--digs deep into a rich variety of influences for a multi-faceted romp through the worlds of pop, jazz, urban/hip-hop, world beat, Brazilian and Latin music. While focusing as always on his classic acoustic guitar and brilliant vocalese to convey the lead melodies on the instrumentals, he stretches into edgier blues territory with his lesser heard electric on In The Shade of Cool.

Joining all-star guests like Fourplay drummer Harvey Mason (who adds his gentle rhythmic touch to the lush romantic atmospheres of the title track) and saxophonist Eric Marienthal (soulful harmony on the lilting ballad She s Got the Way-O, punchy riffs and call and response amidst the brass, retro-soul and party groove mania of Funhouse ) are a handful of musicians familiar to longtime fans of the Oliver live experience, including Will Donato (sax) and Larry Antonino (bass). Oliver credits a lot of the depth the listener will discover on 3-D to the incredible chemistry he had with Schuman, working in the keyboardist s Las Vegas home studio.

My projects always include a sense of lighthearted playfulness, but there s a lot more maturity on 3-D than ever before, he says. Tom really made the tracks sparkle with his cool sense of chordal jazz voicings that come from his deep love for straight ahead jazz. I wanted that deeper element to shade my leanings towards pop this time, and musically, it was a great marriage of sensibilities. Tom s really focused on what he s doing and grounds my enthusiasm with a necessary perspective and honesty. We had a great time. In turn, Oliver opened up a new dimension for Schuman s own artistry to flourish. People can look at the world in a very negative way these days, but Steve s music has an incredible sense of positive hope that reminds us that life can also be wonderful, too, he says. He s so sincere about who he is and he puts his heart into everything he does. I had nothing but fun making this record and it was exciting.