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Morgan Bouldin
The World Is Mine
Heart Sound Records
Morgan Bouldin has been in the music business for the past twenty years. Bouldin is from Houston Texas and has worked in the R&B and jazz genres. In 1996 he launched his independent Heart Sound label. His latest release, “The World Is Mine” is the third release for the smooth jazz/R&B artist Morgan Bouldin. This newest album is equally as creative as his previous two releases. Every track has been written, performed and produced by Morgan Bouldin. Bouldin greatly appreciates various cultures and this love for world music is reflected in his songs. Bouldin has written his CD liner notes and explains the stories behind each track. “The World Is Mine” is the title first track. Kym Smith’s vocals and Bouldin’s smooth piano skills are mesmerizing. “All Day Long” is suave and funky with an infectious melody. Bouldin narrates in his liner notes that “My Groove” is “the result of what I call a spontaneous combustion because I literally wrote this song in minutes. I named it my groove because I think it typifies my style with tight, funky drum patterns and deep, low, syncopated bass patterns and repetitive keyboard riffs and arrangements with chordal harmonies.” “More Bounce To The Ounce” highlights what a gifted artist Morgan Bouldin really is. He seemingly effortlessly blends R&B with jazz and it works. “Faz Frio” is a alluring interlude. According to the liner notes, “They help the writer to better tell his story more subtly. As a composer, you not only want a person to listen and enjoy your music, you also want them to think about it. This is the greatest compliment any artist can get."The interlude seamlessly segues into Bouldin’s rendition of the timeless Oleta Adams tune. The next track “Slave Beat” is “in commemoration to the African slaves that first landed on the beaches of Salvador, Brazil.” “Jazz Music Box” is a dub of the Santana hit, “Black Magic Woman” and the Blackbird’s “Walking In Rhythm.” This track is slick and sizzling. The album continues with the tracks, “U Know What Time It Is”, “Kyle’s Groove”, “Tudo Bem”, “My Groove (short version)”, “All Night Long (reprise)”, The World Is Mine (short version).”
“The World Is Mine” is a brilliant endeavor, and I highly recommend that you add this to your collection it will broaden your horizons and you will have a new found appreciation for the various types of world music. Key tracks to listen for, “The World Is Mine," “My Groove," “Faz Frio (interlude),” “Get Here” and “Jazz Music Box.” Tracks: The World Is Mine, All Day Long, My Groove, More Bounce To The Ounce, Faz Frio (Brazilian Interlude), Get Here, Slave Beat, Jazz Music Box, U Know What Time It Is, Kyle’s Groove, Tudo Bem, My Groove (Short Version), All Night Long (Reprise), The World Is Mine (Short Version)
Jazz Review.com
Reviewed by: Katrina-Kasey Wheeler
Morgan Bouldin: keyboards, piano and music, vocal, drum and synthesizer programming and numerous other musicians
Morgan Bouldin resides in Houston, Texas, but his music encompasses the landscape of the world, most prominently Brazil and France. Bouldin wrote the liner notes to this CD and goes into extensive explanations about each tune. It is enlightening to read this kind of detail (although most people I know will need a flashlight and magnifying glass). The title cut, "The World Is Mine," features a lush background vocal by Kym Smith, and Bouldin plays a Roland RD600 keyboard with an acoustic piano patch that threads through the suave melody beautifully. "All Day Long" is in the groove with a multilayered instrumentation and a Latin- tinged melody with a snippet of refreshingly straight-ahead guitar solo by Joe Carmouche. Bouldin lays claim to being an "old-school funkateer" at heart, and the tune "More Bounce to the Ounce" is an example of how good funk can be. "Faz Frio (Brazilian Interlude)" leads into "Get Here" for an introspective piece that engulfs one in the lovely melody. "Jazz Music Box" has an intense repetitive chant by Paula Adams and a funky syncopated rhythm which is mesmerizing. Bouldin handles a little Portuguese on lead vocals on "Tudo Bem," and the percussion interpretation by Joe Pagliso dominates the fervent rhythm. Of the fourteen cuts on this CD, the last three are reprised ("All Night Long" is a remix of "All Day Long") and do not really add anything more interesting to what was done in the first place. Nevertheless, this CD is innovative smooth Jazz of consequence. It is a project of immense artistry that transcends the genre of smooth Jazz.
By Dorothy L. Hill
JazzNow.Com December 2005
Somethin' funky going on here... Smooth Jazz/R&B recording artist Morgan Boudin gets all up in the groove on his third release, THE WORLD IS MINE. I just love this project.... From beginning to end... It's soulful, rich, deep and all the while as smoooooth as can be. Modern, hip Smooth Jazz grooves, tinged with elements of R&B and Brazilian funk. Fourteen tracks in all, with the exception of a killer cover of Brenda Russell's "Get Here," and Zapp's "More Bounce to the Ounce," Morgan is responsible for the composition, arrangement and production of the rest. Heavily influenced by his travels to Brazil, THE WORLD IS MINE reflects much of what the artist absorbed. "I was simply hooked... The music, the sun, the beaches and the people all captured my heart and before I knew it, I had even learned their language." he says." This is displayed on "Tudo Bem" where Morgan showcases his Portuguese along with his smooth, silky vocals. In addition to his vocals, programming and exceptional keyboard work, some of the Houston's A-List players are on board. Other tracks that stand out for Smoothjazz.com and our SmoothLounge.com include the velvety title track, the chilled, "Know What Time It Is," the smooth, "My Groove, " and the jamming "Jazz Music Box." Some ten years ago he created his independent Heart Sound Records music label to market his music and we're only sorry that it took us this long to discover such a talent. Take our advice, and don't wait!
~SANDY SHORE
Smoothjazz.com September 2005
Smooth jazz artiest Morgan Bouldin uit Houston, heeft zonet zijn derde cd uitgebracht, na It’s A Mystery To Me en Wide Open Spaces. Hij gaat verder op de ingeslagen weg, met verse nieuwe prachtige composities die van je van begin tot einde boeien. Het zijn moderne instrumentale smooth jazz songs, met elementen van R&B en Braziliaanse funk. De cd bevat veertien tracks, waarop Morgan keyboards en piano speelt, de arrangementen voor zijn rekening nam, en de cd produceerde. Daar bovenop krijg je nog twee covers, nl. het funky Roger Troutman & Zapp’s More Bounce To The Ounce, en een laidback versie van Brenda Russell’s/Oleta Adams’ Get Here. Morgan is zeer sterk beďnvloed door Brazilië, en leerde er zelfs de Portugese taal. "I was simply hooked... The music, the sun, the beaches and the people all captured my heart and before I knew it, I had even learned their language." Dit komt best uit op de song Tudo Bem, waarop hij Portugees zingt. Bouldin wordt gesteund door de beste muzikanten uit Houston, waar hij al zo’n twintig jaar muzikaal bedrijvig is in pop, R&B en funk, reggae, Tejano, blues, gospel en jazz. Momenteel is hij vaste artiest in een restaurant, waar hij "groove jazz" speelt. De beste tracks zijn het zeer mooie titelnummer, My Groove, voornoemde covers, het sensuele U Know What Time It Is, en het al even mooie Kyle’s Groove.
by Patrick Van de Wiele
Keys and Chords December 2005(Sweden)
Smooth jazz interwoven with electronics, a dash of funk and r&B to create landscapes of carefully crafted sound...... CD Baby 2003
Another inventive keyboardist, Texan Morgan Bouldin, offers a nexus of styles-from tribal to jazz to modern funk, tracing Afro history and influence in music and story, on Wide Open Spaces. Bouldin draws on his musical vocabulary to build natural, theme-supportive arrangements, like the classic-style R&B tones of "Funny Face," with its step-up rhythms and vintage, bright organ sounds, and the lumbering groove and bittersweet, moody tones surrounding "Emptiness Is Sometimes a Good Thing." Among the best examples is the heavily textured "Washing the Spears," which peppers a walking-funk feel and deep-in-your-chest bass with spindly guitar accents, trumpet calls and chant vocals for a bracing, timeless quality. Bouldin's centerpiece here, the complicated story-song "We Like to Run (The Battle of Isandhlwana)," carries this universality further-meshing jazz piano and R&B features with heavy hip-hop grooves and a rap lead to convey the epic struggle of the Zulu army against British forces with power and grace. -Hilarie S. Grey
"...Offers a nexus of styles - from tribal to jazz to modern funk, tracing Afro history and influence in music and story...with power and grace..."
— Jazz Times May 2002 Issue..."Jazz Musician Gives Back to the Community"...2002 Houston Forward Times
...."Wide Open Spaces showcases Bouldin's evolving power as a composer of both instrumentals and lyric-based songs, most of which radiate an urban sound that blurs the line between smooth jazz and contemporary R&B"....Houston Press
...."He carries you into a place that feels exotic and peaceful"... Lake Charles American Press
...."A variety of influences sets this CD apart from the kind of smooth jazz discs that aspire to background music and nothing more"...San Antonio Express-News
...."A fresh collection of modern smooth jazz grooves, tinged with elements of R&B, funk and Afro-fusion"....Houston Forward Times
"...Bouldin's new album spotlights the rise and fall of Shaka Zulu..." HoustonPress
"...Morgan's keyboard work is venturesome and distinctive..." Houston Forward Times
"...the been-there, done-that Houston keyboardist finds a home in a house of the rising sun ..." HoustonPress
..."Meaty funk-laced grooves and better-than-average arrangements"...1996 Review of "It's A Mystery to Me"- Houston Press
