Search - Various Artists :: Smooth Jazz Radio Hits 1

If the goal of creating music for smooth-jazz radio outlets is to erect audio backdrops that, above all else, remain resolutely inoffensive, this 12-track sampler from Instinct Records suggests that the New York-based label has swiftly mastered the task. Ears demanding more esoteric fare may find this eight-artist sampler a bit too innocuous for their tastes, but people who profess a preference for breezy, easy-listening lite jazz could take an interest in Smooth Jazz Radio Hits. The prevailing texture on several tracks is a George Benson-like commercial-jazz sound, embellished at varying times by flute, saxophone, and keyboards. While tracks from Soundscape UK and Duncan Millar provide some of the disc's more hip moments, its overall sound (particularly in keyboards and drumming) largely suggests a late-'70s and early-'80s throwback of gentle grooves. --Terry Wood