(Heads Up)

Marcus Miller is first and foremost a true musician–one with an ear for what works musically, as his latest release, Renaissance, does quite well. The project which pays homage to several generations and genres of music has all the circuit-blowing kinetics we’ve come to expect from the dynamic bassist, but also an emphasis high-quality musicianship at every level. Joining Miller on the effort is a stellar lineup, including saxophonist Alex Han, trumpeters Sean Jones and Maurice Brown, drummer Louis Cato, guitarists Adam Agati and Adam Rogers, as well as keyboardists Kris Bowers and Bobby Sparks, among others. There are also wonderful vocal contributions from Gretchen Parlato, Dr, John  and Reuben Blades. The recording is comprised mostly of engaging original compositions and nicely re-constructed covers of tunes made famous by WAR, Ivan Lins, The Jackson 5 and Janelle Monaé. This color-filled sweep of musical styles and cultures is another work of art from Miller which attests his standing as one of the true renaissance men in all of music today.