Recently, I have had the pleasure of listening to the legendary drummer Ginger Baker’s new album “Why?” his first studio album in 16 years.  This marvelous album is truly exciting and will feel as though you are in the middle of one of Baker’s concerts. Each song has its own awesome beat and will not disappoint. For those of you who love smooth jazz, this is the perfect album for you.

Smooth jazz is a genre known for the use of horns, the occasional soft, slow beat of the drums and the gentle, beautiful sound of the piano. This album is of no exception. The fun thing about this album is that it took only four instruments to create each outstanding track, such as “Twelve and More Blues”, “Ginger Spice”, “Footprints” and the title track “Why?” “Why?” is an especially interesting track because you can hear a sample of the Negro spiritual “Wade in the Water” throughout the song. Out of all of the songs on this album, this is the one that will catch the attention of Baker’s listeners. The amazing drum solo in “Footprints” is exceptionally wonderful and will not only thrill the listening audience, but bring them to their feet.

This album is absolutely perfect and has everything that makes smooth jazz the beautiful and amazing genre we know it to be. While listening to this amazing album, I found myself falling in love with every song. Had this been a live show, you would have heard the audience calling for an encore after hearing such a remarkable performance. What makes each song so different from the last is that the tempo changes from upbeat and excitable (“Aiko Biaye”) to calm and relaxed (“Cyril Davis”).

Ginger Baker’s status as a legendary performer has been rightfully earned. His skills as a drummer are expressed throughout his album and “Why?” is guaranteed to please the musical palettes of his fans. With the release of “Why?” Baker not only has brought a smile to the faces of his longtime fans, but has gained a new set of fans as well.

Final Grade: A+

About The Author

Lauren Beverly

Music Reviewer

I love to write and have been doing so since the age of eight. Fictional stories have always been a favorite of mine, because it gives me a chance to be creative and to express myself in a multitude of ways. On more than one occasion, a song proved to be the inspiration to several stories I have written. Believe it or not, some of those songs were on soundtracks! That’s mostly what I listen to, aside from hits from the 1950’s up to the 1980’s. I’ve learned that anything can be the inspiration to a story, even a poster from the 1990’s or a DVD cover.

I’ve lived in Upper Marlboro all of my life and spent much of my childhood watching cartoons of all kinds, and listening to my older sister’s cassette tapes. Growing up, I listened to everything Jackson related, Paula Abdul, Elton John, and even the controversial group Milli Vanilli. As a teenager, I continued to listen to old-school hits and that was pretty much all I liked, aside from listening to all of Michael Jackson’s music. To this day, I still love old-school hits. That hasn’t changed.

I own a variety of CDs from artists such as Styx, The BeeGees, Michael Jackson, Queen, The Yellow Submarine Soundtrack, and many others. When a soundtrack comes out, there will always be one specific song from that album that I’ll love. It never fails.

I’ve graduated from Bowie State University in December 2013 with a B.A. degree in English.

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