If I could put together a list of the elements of a perfect smooth jazz sax album, that list would include a mix of different types of songs, tempos and textures, strong songwriting, a solid group of backup musicians, and an unapologetic stance - the confidence to stand proudly upfront as an instrumentalist and not feel the need to water it down with pop vocals or to pander to nostalgia.  The majority of Nelson Rangell's albums fit this profile, which may be one of the reasons why such a gifted artist has remained one of our most underrated musicians.  When the gatekeepers block anything interesting or compelling, this is the music that gets filtered out.  Picking a favorite is hard.  Truest Heart is the adventurous one, Yes, Then Yes the most energized, Always is more experimental and Soul to Souls steps into straight-ahead, but for a cross-section of everything that Rangell does so beautifully, you can't beat Turning Night Into Day.

Rangell was part of GRP's star-studded roster during their strongest era, and Turning Night Into Day was his last album for the label.  It was released in 1997 when a lot of artists were leaving the label, and radio format constraints were forcing a shift toward background groove oriented material.  Someone forgot to tell him though.  This one has blasting horns, low and loud sax tones, hot guitar licks, driving beats, power ballads, and spirited songs with irresistible melodies and ear grabbing hooks.  There is no soprano sax on the CD.  Besides alto, Rangell also plays tenor and shows his virtuosity on flute and piccolo - instruments that have been marginalized because they don't "test well.”  "Starting Now," the opening track, is definitive Rangell with joyous and powerful playing over a chunky groove that keeps building momentum.  He improvises and plays around the melody, but his songs never dissolve into a noodly groove.  "All For You," "Today's Top Story" and the title track continue in the same vein, all energized tracks with lots of no-holds barred sax work that manage to be elegant and funky at the same time.  "Godzilla" is even bigger and brassier with wailing alto, layered saxes and a horn section over a percolating backbeat. 

When the mood shifts to romantic, the songs become heartfelt and cinematic.  "All For You" is a classic power ballad with a sax voice so expressive that lyrics would be extraneous.  "Romantique" bends and stretches the radio friendly sound to its limits.  It has the format signature keyboard "wah wah" and shimmering keyboard textures but they are countered by gritty alto runs and an upfront bass line.  He plays with more restraint on "From Spark to Flame' and at the beginning of the seven-minute tour-de-force, "All Hearts, One Heart.”  That one shifts textures from producer & co-writer Chuck Loeb's keyboard shadings to some searing rock guitar licks during a sax/guitar tradeoff toward the end.  There are two flute pieces.  "April Snow" is as gentle as a lullaby.  "La Repuesta" shape shifts into a heated tropical jam halfway through.  He picks up the piccolo for "The Journey," which starts out sounding similar to the fabulous "World Traveler" from Truest Heart and features Howard Levy, best known for his stint on harmonica with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.  A harmonica and piccolo trading solos sounds eccentric in theory, but works beautifully in these hands with Rangell hitting bird-song highs and Levy echoing them as they both effortlessly slide up and down a cascade of notes. 

Rangell worked with five different producers on this album including long time collaborators Chuck Loeb, Kip Kuepper, and Michael Bearden.  David Mann, a formidable sax player himself, wrote and produced two songs and keyboard player Mike Hupfer contributed one.  Even with such a collection of producers and lead instruments this is a very cohesive piece of work.  The majority of the songs share a core group of musicians and the songs that Rangell didn't write were written by people who know him well enough to write the way he plays.  In spite of the Sanborn comparisons, he has a very identifiable sound that is enhanced by certain melodic signatures that appear in a lot of his songs.  The songs he writes or co-writes don't sound just alike, but if you listen to a lot of his music, there are some recurring melodic themes that are noticeable.  He doesn't take songs down the easiest road, he takes them down the most interesting one. 

Any Nelson Rangell album you choose is going to get you hooked and lure you into buying more.  He's one of the few artists out there whose work is so good that, if you cherry pick one on the download sites, you are really missing something.  I'm one of the biggest cherry pickers out there, but I play my Nelson Rangell CDs often and all the way through.  As an overview, I think this is one of the best.  From there, you could put on a blindfold, slide your mouse, and just click to buy.  You would never be disappointed.

- Shannon West