Pearls is an eclectic collection of songs played and arranged by David Sanborn.  The songs range from the contemporary, like the title song “Pearls” and “Superstar,” to the classic, like “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and “For All We Know.”  Yes, these are all covers, but Sanborn has a way of taking previously recorded songs and arranging them in such a way that it becomes something fresh and new.

Without a doubt, this CD sets a mood.  From its opening track, “Willow Weep for Me,” to the finale, “Nobody Does It Better,” you can hear it in every song.  Fourteen years after the original release, I still find myself turning to this CD when I’m down and need a bit of cheering up, when I’m chilling with a special friend, or when I’m just enjoying watching the rain fall from the comfort of my home.

Perhaps mood is the wrong word to use in describing the music on this CD.  Rather than describe moods, let’s say that it is multi-faceted.  Like an onion, it has layers.  For example, “Come Rain or Come Shine” goes from being a classic standard to something jazzy to something worthy of a full orchestra all during the four and a half minutes of its duration.  There are examples of this throughout this release.

Since David Sanborn is a saxophone player, the majority of the songs here are instrumentals, but the two tunes that he chooses to add vocals to, “For All We Know” and “Nobody Does It Better” are admirably handled by Jimmy Scott on the former and Oleta Adams on the latter. 

I suspect that as time goes by, I will continue to come back to this CD periodically.  After all, good music never goes out of style, so it will always be within an arms reach for me.