Sunday Brunch

Veteran musician Baatin probably could have made an album in any one of several styles, given his extensive background; as the title of his debut release, Sunday Brunch suggests, he has opted for a smooth jazz approach, with elements of funk and R&B thrown in. As solo albums go, this one is very close to justifying the phrase, since he played most of the instruments, wrote most of the music, and even served as his own producer, engineer, and mixer, among other things. He also takes the microphone and sings a couple of the tunes. As such, the album is not a conventional jazz album, even in smooth jazz terms; it is a studio creation in which a single musician has collaborated with himself in a series of overdubs. For all that, it conforms to the familiar sound of smooth jazz, with steady rhythms underlying undemanding improvisations on keyboards, saxophone, and guitar. And while it is a respectable effort in the style, it doesn't stand out from the many other recordings of the same type.