Various Artists - Smooth Jazz #1 Hits - Music & Performance - CD

Simply put, this set from Concord Jazz collects 11 tracks that reached the top of Billboard's contemporary jazz chart -- we're not sure why Concord's trying to bring back the "smooth jazz" moniker -- from the late 2000s and 2010s. Highlights include Boney James' shimmering "Touch" from Send One Your Love; Fourplay's slick, funky "3rd Degree" from Let's Touch the Sky; George Benson's "Livin' in High Definition" off Songs and Stories; Mindi Abair's Grover Washington-esque "Be Beautiful" from her In Hi-Fi Stereo long-player, and the title track from saxophonist Paul Taylor's Burnin' album. Concord did their level best to cross-license the highest quality chart-toppers from these years, and came up with a summery, easy-grooving collection that should satisfy every contemporary (er, smooth) jazz fan's expectations. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi