Michael Lington – Silver Lining (2018) [HDTracks FLAC 24bit/44,1kHz]

Michael Lington – Silver Lining (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 48:38 | 577 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks | Booklet, Front Cover | © Copenhagen Music

Danish sax-man, Michael Lington is releasing “Silver Lining”, his 10th solo album, the follow up to 2016’s critically acclaimed “Second Nature”. The album features mostly original compositions by Lington and producer/co-arranger/keyboardist Barry Eastmond, as well as a pair of stunning, choice covers. Joining him in the venture is an all-star cast of performers including Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame, Funk Brothers original Jack Ashford, Paul Jackson Jr., Ray Parker Jr., Alex Al, Freddie Washington, Lenny Castro and soul legend William Bell for a body of work that will be essential listening for all those who like their smooth jazz spiced with a modicum of soul.

‘Silver Lining’ is quickly up and running with ‘City Life’, the first of nine original Lington – Eastmond compositions. This down and dirty number has the added soul power of a brassy backing track, great guitar from Dave Stewart and is without doubt one of the albums top tunes. Another is the easy grooving ‘Jaywalking’ that features Paul Jackson Jr. on guitar while in similar vein is the foot tapping title cut where Jackson Jr. again lends a hand. Elsewhere Lington shows off his jazzy credentials with ‘Break the Ice’ and, although ‘Déjà vu’ proves to be a slice of groove drenched contemporary jazz, when he notches down the tempo the result is the lilting, jazzy swing of ‘Swingin’ On Main Street’. He keeps things relaxed for the heartfelt ‘Can’t Say Goodbye’ but it is with ‘Straight To The Top’ that, complete with great work on keys from Eastmond, he really finds mid tempo magic. Lington even fits in two excellently crafted covers, the first being a cool take on the Curtis Mayfield classic ‘People Get Ready’ for which William Bell does an outstanding job on vocals. Equally good is Lington’s re-imaging of the Tower Of Power blockbuster ‘So Very Hard To Go’ where Dorian Holley knocks the vocal right out of the park yet when the spotlight returns to Lington’s own music he teams with Ray Parker Jr. for the appropriately titled ‘M-Funk’ where high octane smooth jazz melds with funk in the most sensational of ways.

Tracklist:
01 – City Life (featuring Dave Stewart)
02 – Break the Ice
03 – Deja Vu
04 – People Get Ready (featuring William Bell)
05 – Silver Lining
06 – Can’t Say Goodbye
07 – M-Funk (featuring Ray Parker Jr.)
08 – Swingin’ on Main Street
09 – So Very Hard to Go (featuring Dorian Holley)
10 – Jaywalking (featuring Paul Jackson Jr.)
11 – Straight to the Top

Produced by Barry J. Eastmond.
Recorded and Mixed by Ray Bardani.
Mastered by Bernie Grundman.

Download:

mqs.link_MichaelLingtnSilverLining2018HDTracks24441.rar