LIGHT AS A FEATHER

Light as a Feather is actually Return to Forever's debut album, it continues with the smooth/latin jazz that Chick Corea's album had introduced, however this is not any smooth jazz, this is with Chick Corea's magical electric piano, Latin vocalist Flora Purim, engaging saxophonist Joe Farrell, the tremendous bass from Stanley Clarke and the effective percussion from Airto Moreira, all making a sweet jazz record with some twists here and there, adding those Latin-roots everyone talks about.

The opener, 'You're Everything', already traps you with Corea's charming keyboards and Flora's delightful vocals, all soon to transform into a very engaging and elegant Latin style.

The title track follows the smooth mood and Latin-esque style the opener presented, however Chick Corea let's his virtuosity on the keys set-free this time and delivers some really fantastic stuff all within that pleasant rhythm section heard before on the previous song. Joe Farell also has the chance to shine with a enthralling saxophone solo, while Stanley later delivers a typical jazzy bass solo.

'Captain Marvel' moves the album into a faster pace full of rapid flute evoking a lot of energy to the listener as to maintain you awake, as well as some speed-up keyboard runs.

'500 Miles High' overall shares a lot with the title track due to the mellowness with the exception of the middle instrumental part which is more reminiscent of 'Captain Marvel's' rapid pace and energy delivery.

'Children's Song' returns to the tranquility of the opener, but even more so. It's three minutes of instrumental peacefulness, as a song is not that interesting, but it works well as a preparation for the last song, which is a classic.

'Spain', well it's a classic you should already know about, develops further the strong Latin roots from 'Captain Marvel' and in here Chick Corea truly adds some magnificent spins, even more so engaging than the rest of the songs from this album. Incredible Latin Jazz composition.

Finally as a conclusion I'll just say that it's a very pleasant smooth jazz album (not referring to the 'genre'). At first it may seem wonderful because it's Latin-flavour and the lovely tranquil mood, but as far as the compositions go you'll find them in the end pretty monotone and not much to distinguish from each other, even if they're all greatly played. Because of this it doesn't deserve more than 2 stars. Still enjoyable, and recommended for those who like some tranquil Jazz to go along with.

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