Disco de Guru: “Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future”

Unfortunately this isn't the same album that was originally released in 2007.

All the cameos have disappeared and the tracks have been remixed with Solar's horrendous production work.

It's fraudulent and unethical to call this Jazzmatazz 4 as it is not the same as the 2007 version.

DO NOT SUPPORT SOLAR, BUY ORIGINAL GANGSTARR MUSIC

I became a fan of Guru after I heard and fell in love with his collaboration with Angie Stone, "Keep your worries". That made me go out and get the album it came from, 2000's "Guru's jazzmatazz Streetsoul" which I loved, especially all the collaborations with acts ranging from Craig David, Les Nubians, to Isaac Hayes and Erykah Badu.

"Guru's jazzmatazz, Vol.4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the future" came out June 2007, and much like his 2000 effort is another collaboration effort. It is the fourth in his Jazzmatazz series.

The retro funk opening cut "Cuz I'm jazzy" features Slum Village stating they are "jazzy like Dizzy and Bird". The horn peppered "State of clarity" features Common and Bob James on keyboards. More upbeat is "Stand up (some thing's'll never change)" with Damian Marley (rich percussion).The sax drenched quiet storm "Look to the sun" features Solar. "Connection" features Kem, while "Fine and free" featuring Vivian Green samples The Isley Brothers' "Summer breeze" and has acoustic flourishes. "Wait on me" with Raheem DeVaughn (and his Marvin Gaye harmonies) could have been on any of his 2 albums.

"International" is a lilting midtempo song with a latin feel and Bobby Valentino on harmonies. The brooding funk groove of "This is art" features Ronnie laws, "Fly magnetic" (with its scratchy bassline) features Dionne Farris and is pure neo soul. The piano sprinkled D'angelo styled "The jazz style" features Omar and sounds like something from some spy movie.

"Follow the signs" which features Shelley Harland is slowed down with some sitar sounds, "Universal struggle" with Brownman is sprinkled with muted sax, "Infinite" features Blackalicious and features a sample of Kool & The Gang's "Summer madness", "Kissed the world" with Caron Wheeler samples Toto's "Georgie porgy", and closing is "Living legend" with David Sanborn (it has loads of sax and great piano flourishes).

A brilliant blend of jazz, funk, and hip hop with some of the most talented singers and musicians on hand. Not as immediate as "...Streetsoul" but still great.

Everything I liked about Jazzmatazz 1&2 is evident on this recording. Guru is now an established artist and handles every track like the seasoned pro he is. However, some of the rawness is gone, and while I understand why, it took me a little by surprise. Many of the Jazz musicians on this recording are far less edgy than the previous ones, and this gives the music an more "relaxed" feel. No more dark streets, gangsters, or pranksters.

You normally wouldn't expect a forty-something-year-old rapper to still be making music without sounding like a has-been, but Guru is doing just that. His latest release in the Jazzmatazz series, Vol. 4: The Hip-Hop Messenger: Back to the Future, is pretty solid.

For those that aren't familiar with Jazzmatazz, it's a mixture of jazz and rap, so don't necessarily expect this to sound like a Gang Starr album. DJ Premier isn't even here; instead, the producer is Solar -- wait, wait; don't get discouraged. I know Solar's production was the major downfall on The Street Scriptures, but he's gotten a lot better now (and you can also tell this is a Jazzmatazz album because there are very few profanities, and when they DO come up, they're censored).

Soulful artists take the stage alongside Guru's rhymes, like Dionne Farris on "Fly Magnetic" and Raheem DeVaughn on "Wait on Me"; and while I'm not sure what Bobby Valentino is doing on a Guru album, he sounds fine as well on "International". Caron Wheeler also shines on the interesting anti-Bush song, "Kissed the World".

Other rappers impress as well, especially Common on "State of Clarity"; but the Blackalicious-assisted "Infinite" is also quality. And Guru still manages to hold his own rollin' dolo -- well, unless you don't count other instrumentalists as guest stars. Whatever the case, someone called Brown Man manages to lay down nice music on "Universal Struggle", as does Ronnie Laws on the aptly titled "This is Art".

Guru's voice DOES still have the tendency to get a little dull sometimes, which is why I knocked off one star. Still, Vol. 4 (I'm not writing out that whole title again) is a cool addition to the Jazzmatazz series, so cop it.

Anthony Rupert

Loved Guru's last projects. This cd has 4 tracks that are the bomb, right off the break. I am sure that once I hear the cd a few more times the number will only increase.