Search - Twennynine With Lenny White :: Twennynine With Lenny White

Straight Ahead R&B From Lenny White & Friends

Andre' S Grindle | Bangor,ME. | 11/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lenny White,drummer for Return To Forever in the mid 1970's and solo jazz fusion artist later in the decade,began to dive into standard R&B/funk on his 1978 solo album 'Streamline' and emmediatly after that formed Twennynine-an R&B/funk cmobo who scored a hit in 1979 with the classic "Peanut Butter".This is the bands self-titled 1980 follow up,and for all concerned it leans very heavily into the R&Bsy side of funk,featuring alot of male/female vocal exchanges,slick production values and the requisit horns.It's all together very typical of early 1980's funk/R&B in general,with one important factor-it's completely devoid of even the one ounce of jazz fusion always present on any Lenny White album.The sassy,humorous funk of "Kid Stuff" most resembles Twennynine's 'classic' sound as heard on their debut 'Best Of Friends'.Otherwise "My Melody","Fancy Dancer" and "Just Right For Me" set the tone for the album-straight ahead grooving R&B and light funk with no fusion referrances.Only the brief snippit "11'th Fanfare" reminds the listener who Lenny White was.So as an example of Jamaica,Queens's

then thriving jazz/R&B/funk musical community in the early 80's 'Twennynine With Lenny White' is a treasure.But those looking for White's more bombastic and anthemic 70's jazz fusion will not find what they're looking for here.So for what it is this is well made and concieved album."