On Desire, guitarist Blake Aaron has given us 15 (15!) songs that cover about every inch of turf a listener could possibly want to hear on a smooth jazz album. There are elements of Golub, Carlton, Clapton, Brown (Paul and Norman), Benson, White and even a little Wes running through these songs. I just threw those names out there to create a referenc point to pull you in because this isn't a major label release with a big promo budget so catching your eyes is step one, catching your ears comes next. There are influences here but nothing is imitative. Blake Aaron can play the hell out of any style he chooses and effortlessly flip from one to another with the change of a chord. He can fly all over the fretboard, bend and stretch notes at will, play it soft or play it wild. He's that good, both as a guitarist and composer and he lays it all out on this CD. Desire was three years in the making and got caught in a tangle of the usual music biz changes. "Spin Zone," the debut “single,” came out almost two years ago on the alleged heels of a CD called Shine. Infectious and energized, with a full fledged horn section spicing up some blistering licks, "Spin Zone" was a brash contrast to the Euro-chill moodscapes that were in favor with the radio format at the time and didn't garner much airplay. The album went into limbo but you can't keep a good one down for long. Desire  finally showed up on a different label four years after he started to really make a name for himself with his impressive second release, Bringin' it Back, and it was well worth the wait.

Aaron works with four different producers on this project. Keyboard whiz Michael Whittaker, who produced Bringin' it Back, returns for four songs. Bassist Hussain Jiffry's work on seven of these tracks shows his potential to become a fresh new voice in a genre that needs an infusion of new faces and new ideas, Alan Hewitt contributes an R&B vocal track and super-producer Paul Brown brings his hit making skills and glossy studio sheen to three tracks. The contrasting styles of the three main producers complement each other beautifully and keep this group of songs from falling into any stylistic ruts.  Several things separate Aaron from the rest of the pack of smooth jazz guitarists. He blends jazz chops with heavy rock-blues voicings, a sound he and Golub pretty much have to themselves, he is a superb songwriter, he has the stage presence of a rocker, and he doesn't hold back. All that is evident here as the melodies grab you and the solos take your breath away.

The songs on Desire seem to fall into segments that meld the stylistic shifts into a cohesive package. There is a set of bluesy jazzed up sizzlers followed by a group of melodic ballads, then he cuts loose with some organic blues-rock songs that have a live sound, followed by some Latin flavored escapades. Then the song cycle ends where it begins with the final track's combustible groove mirroring the vibe of the opening song. Highlights abound because there is not a single throwaway track on this big collection of songs. It's impossible not to move when you hear the retro-soul party groove he lays on "Will It Go Round In Circles."  "C'mon Over" is speeded up chill with a flashy guitar line over a hypnotic loop and vocal chorus. Desire is just beautiful with Tony Guerrero's moody trumpet contrasting Aaron's blissful guitar line. "There Will Come A Day" adds gospel overtones to a blues-rock foundation and he pulls pure emotion out of every note then follows it with "Baby Likes The Blues,"  a no holds barred roadhouse rave-up complete with B3, horns galore and a driving backbeat.  "Fragile" evolves from its pensive acoustic opening into a propulsive Latin jam, then he flies all over the fretboard in the middle of the breezy "Run Away With You." Every song has at least one jaw-dropping solo. Aaron outdoes himself on every track, every note that Tony Guerrero plays is emotionally evocative. Keyboardist Steve Weingart shines throughout, starting with a powerful solo toward the end of the opening track. Jeff Coffin and Mike Todd play multiple sax parts that layer into some earthshakin' horn section parts.

I'm one of the worse when it comes to cherry-picking songs rather than playing through entire albums and a 15 song collection adds new meaning to the concept of entire album but all the instrumental tracks on this one have a long-term home in my iPod. My little tweak was to put “Spin Zone” upfront instead of buried at the bottom of the set.  Desire is too good to miss and too adventurous, uptempo, diverse, and foreground for the radio so what we have to figure out is how to get it heard by the people who will love it so they can share it with other people and get that buzz going. It would be pretty tragic for this one to go under the radar while people talk about how lackluster the genre has become because this one serves up every facet of the music that is exciting and accessible. Get a copy, play it loud in public and spread the word!

-Shannon West