Byron Miller: Until

Inventive arrangements and virtuoso bass-play separate Byron Miller’s Until… (Warner/Discovery 77057; 52:15) from the urban contemporary pack. His expressive bass skittles and growls against “Skip” Anderson’s jazzy piano work on the creeping “Sweet Dreams,” and gives a funky vibe to the upbeat “Everybody Loves the Sunshine.” Spare arrangements like “Best Friends” allow subtle instrumental touches (in this case, Doc Powell’s acoustic guitar) to shine through-a rarity in most hip-hop based instrumental recordings. Although Miller’s mood-setting compositions do succumb to the occasional clichŽ (breathy, useless vocals on “Don’t Wanna Wait,” for example) his willingness to take chances often bears great results-like the big soul feel of “Show Your Love,” featuring Everett Harp on sax-which on its own is worth the price of admission.

Originally Published October 1, 1997