Reviews (page 5 of 9)
найс, вайбово.
Það er ekki þessu bandi að kenna að þessi tónlistarstíll hafi orðið að soundtracki fyrir símsvara og skjáauglýsingar. Titillagið er frábært og restin mjög góð grúv. Væri til í taka þátt í djammsession í þessum stíl.
I wish it would've had more actual songs like the first track but it's a nice Smooth Jazz album
Street Life, the song is a metaphor for the rest of the album: smart, funky, polished, and goes on a bit too long.
this was very chill and pleasant. i enjoyed it!
i'm not a huge jazz guy but i definitely enjoyed the funk and pop elements in these tracks. smooth and clean, but with some real pizzazz behind all those solos. keep it comin!! favorites: street life, my lady, rodeo drive (high steppin'), carnival of the night
After listening to the worst Nick Cave album, this album was like drinking a cold glass of water, completely refreshing. The instrumentation is amazing and the vibe and grooves are great. I really loved the first song, it really carries the whole album. By that is sorta the problem, after that first song it’s constantly downhill. Not drastically downhill, like falling off a mountain into boring noise. It’s more like they had one absolute banger in that first song and then didn’t bother putting as much effort into the other songs. They all just feel like a let down after that first song. Honestly though, this album is insanely short and I love that. Definitely worth your time, it won’t take much of it and it’s a great lounge around the house kinda album. Just put it on, jam to the first song then kinda just bop to the rest and forget that it’s even on.
sleazy 70’s chalet vibe but in a good way. Easy listening disco.
Title track is an awesome jam with some great vocals and instrumentation. Would not be out of place in a Persona game, in a good way. Love the sac on both My Girl and Rodeo Drive. The latter of which exemplifies the glamor and excess of the fabled Hollywood Mecca of high fashion. The guitar on Carnival of the Night is very rangy, and has a nice piano/keyboard accompaniment.
Not sure if I have ever heard of these guys. Definitely will listen. Very jazzy, with some soul. It's good. Not my style but I definitely respect the style of music they bring. This is some solid music.
First listen
Meh
A great album to chill out with. Sure, it's not that exciting (although Street Life is something else), but sometimes a little staid and smooth music (or even muzak, if that's what it is). I love it, and it's getting five stars.
I can’t say this is bad, but there is something that is not gelling with me. It feels almost too slick, too produced. Like they are holding back emotion. Is “carnival of the night” where Lizzo got “about damn time” from? This is a good record, but I don’t know if I would listen again.
This was fuckin cool, super chill jazz sounding. Would listen again.
88% Best: Street Life; My Lady; Carnival Of The Night; The Hustler; Must-Hear? Sure
I like the vibe. Kind of like a less edgy Tower of Power.
I don’t really know…I suppose a bit of a cross of jazz, funk, r&b, disco, a little bit of rock and pop. Lots of funky bass, drums, and guitar. Some cool chord progressions and solos. It’s also really easy music to zone out - I need to really force myself to pay attention, where you can find some cool details but the tracks aren’t rewarding for their full lenghs. The sonics of the instrumental tunes are a bit saccharine for my taste - particularly the sax parts. Sounds like jazz simplified to appeal to a pop audience. Well made, well played, but not my jam.
Cool ass jazz. Looking forward to more listens, this must stay in rotation
Otroligt sköna vibes
I definitely found the groove in this album delightful. The vocal tracks were the weakest part, and if this had been a fully instrumental album I've enjoyed it more. I could see myself listening to this in the right spirit.
I’ve been trying to make sense of this album. I liked it a lot, but it was also kind if forgettable at the same time? It’s smooth, it’s fun at times, it’s easy to listen to. Like I said, I liked it a lot. But why can’t I recall any of the rhythms in my head? Nothing stood out as a “wow” moment. The best way I can describe it would be, “great background music”.
Not bad, but faded into the background a bit. Standout song Street life
Good stuff. Talented bunch
Disappointing. Street life itself is a great tune, although the album version drags on a bit, but the rest is forgettable instrumental smoothness. It's backing music for dinner parties. Everything is 'nice' and quite inoffensive. I can't remember much past the first track. Nice to have something that isn't 70s rock, but still a bit flat
Excellent jazz/funk, very similar feel to Steely Dan. -Street Live
I always found the title track quite long and this one is even longer... It's a good song though. The rest of the album is also good.
Cool, simple album. Nothing revolutionary or new.
Great stuff.
Sleepy Montgomery Ward jazz 1001 album worthy: no - 62/116
I'm just not a jazz fan. I know there are some talented jazz musicians and I'm not knocking their skill. I just can't get into this music. I do want to give a special shout out for NOT hearing any flute solos. For this, I'll give you solid 2 and a big thank you. 2
3 Holy shit, Beverly Hills and not a car to be seen, aside from the one unloading - how late is the Street Life keeping these guys up? Anyway, I saw this album was listed as jazz, and I would say that’s mostly accurate, but at times this almost felt more like R&B, especially with the title track. And as it so happens, the title track was far and away the track that I enjoyed the most - it may be long and repetitive, but man, is it groovy. The 11-minute runtime really didn’t bother me as much as I thought I would, but if it’s not your bag, there’s a 4-minute version of the song that exists that was done for Tarantino’s Jackie Brown. Beyond Street Life, the album evolves into more and more of a proper jazz album, which I honestly didn’t mind at first, but it quickly starts feeling like the same kind of thing over and over again, to the point that I found myself checking in on my progress during each listen sometime around when The Hustler kicked in - not good if your album is only 39 minutes long. Still, I can’t say that I flat-out disliked anything, and the first couple of tracks even had me in a bit of a groove, so I would call this decent, though not super memorable for the most part.
So…easy listening disco isn’t my jam. This made me want to go back and give Chic another star. I don’t know why this album is on here—I guess I could research it, but man, I don’t need 5-10 minute smooth disco jams in my life. SAX! CHIMES! Smooth bass!
Perfect soundtrack for a 70s-era key party.
You are at position 3 in the queue, please stay on the line and someone will get back to you.
Harmless and fun jazz what’s not to like
Tricked me in thinking this was going to be a funky disco album with Street Life, upset me with smooth Jazz after that 😞
It's fun.
> The Beatles
Solid smooth jazz with funk and great vocals.
Other than the first track I think this is largely unchallenging jazz music without much to distinguish it from the average of the genre. The thing about this style is that you have to have standout performances from one or more of the members, and usually the more the better. The first track has the vocalist, who is great. The rest of the tracks are just kinda there. It isn't bad, the solos are in there, they're just not really memorable. It's a bang average 70's pop jazz album; I wouldn't even call it fusion. It sounds like something you could license for cheap to have in your art school film about hookers or something. I'd listen to it again but I doubt I would remember even doing it.
да
Street life was cool, the rest is just "fun enough" smoother jazz
The Crusaders themselves? They're legit legends. The instrumental is so tight, it's insane. The sax is doing its thing, the rhythm section is locked in, and the whole thing just flows. It's giving sophisticated chill, but with a serious groove. It's the kind of song you put on when you're feeling yourself, or when you need to level up your chill playlist. Basically, "Street Life" is a whole vibe. It's timeless, it's iconic, and it's still a banger. If you haven't heard it, you're missing out.
We're sorry. Street Life is currently experiencing a higher volume of customers at this time. Please stay on the line to speak to the next available representative. Your current estimated wait time is 39 minutes and 22 seconds. Would like to leave a call back number?
this sounds more like i picked out something completely random from a list of every 70s jazz album, then i could say "well what did you expect" but no, this is one of the 1001 most essential albums ever made everytime i listen to an album that i like and it isnt on this list i'll be thinking "this album died so that street life by the crusaders could take its place" why is it so backgroundy why does it taste so much like nothing so that being said it sounded pleasant, 2/5
Super nice jazz, great balance of all different instruments. I only wish they would've been a little more adventurous
The opener is fantastic, the rest falls under decent funky jazz music. Nothing that's blowing my mind, but it's pleasant.
It's the Hallmark Channel version of Jazz. It starts out promising, but gets extra cheesy quickly. Favorite Track: "Street Life".
It's very funny how much jazz critics do not like this compared to how much everyone else (correctly) enjoys it.
After the first song, I thought this was going to be like an obscure late 70's soul/R&B type album. But then it was all instrumental after that, a mix of jazz, funk, and a little rock. But it felt a little too smooth jazz for me. It was high quality musicianship, but the whole thing felt a little to sanitized, especially for an album called "street Life"
Street Life natürlich fantastisch, der Rest ein bisschen langweilig, aber schunkelig, kann man gut durchhören
🎷🎶 schade, dass es so kurz war
This jazz slaps. Street life was my favorite
Street life was on a tape in the shop I used to work in, I heard it every 90 minutes during my working week. So I hate it, but I can still appreciate it for what it is. The rest of the album...... Mostly forgettable coffee table jazz
Smooth fun jazz
Great start, but disappointing thereafter.
Too well-behaved, smooth soul. "They say" it's jazz but I wouldn't think so. Some OK grooves but lacking punch and the saxophones (and guitars) are just too smooth for me. Reminds me of cheap American TV series from the 1980's. Some good musicianship though.
I don't care that this sounds a bit like hold music, it's smooth AF. If I'm being honest, I preferred it to the Stan Getz album I just got. Maybe some would consider that blasphemy, but I would love to listen to this while driving around a city late at night! 8/10
this is what every single album here needs to be... hella funky and just SUCH A VIBE. i even knew one of the songs cause it's a sample bwahah
A relief to have a nice jazz album, thought everything was just great. Good vibes, good sound and good instruments. That street life song is just such a great start to the anlvum and deserves its praise.
Not surprised title track was used in a movie 40 plus years ago. And another group I’ve never heard of before. And hoping not hear again.
Super cool and funky. Not something I'd have found or will choose to put on again, probably, but something I've enjoyed listening to. Even if it does sort of sound like the theme tune to an American gameshow a lot of the time. The guitar solos in the second half definitely helped secure that third star for me. Smooooooth.
Streetlife is a quarter of the album. Very instrumental.
Painfully dull album. Just under 40 mins of background music.
I wasn't looking forward to this. That dreaded word "jazz". But I think I've had a bit of an epiphany. This is the kind of jazz that I like. I'm not a fan of that slow, monotonous, really quiet and soft, almost dull jazz. The kind of jazz you would hear in a poncy coffee shop or wine bar. This though was really enjoyable. It's more upbeat, it infuses elements of funk and soul. The playing of the bass is great, the cool mini guitar licks and solos are great, the saxophone is great. The vocals on the opening title track - which was the best on the album - were really catchy and are perfect for the song, they really are sublime vocals. Yes it was slightly "elevator music" or "dentist waiting room" or "hold music", but it was all good stuff and each of the six tracks had their own flavour. I feel like I could put this on at any time of the day, no matter what mood I'm in and I'd smile and enjoy it. A really surprising four stars and I'm very glad it was on this list.
Too smooth for me. I did enjoy the part I listened to while I was driving at night, but can a guy give stars to ambiance?
This is more a case of a song you should listen to before you die, but what a song it is. Street Life, the title track, in its 11 minute plus album version is worth four stars on its own. Randy Crawford's vocals are sublime and the playing from the core group, particularly that of Wilton Felder whose bass playing is even better than his saxophones, is superb. The arrangement and production is excellent, separation in the soundscape is clear and the tone warm. It is a fantastic piece of work. The rest of the album, although engineered and played just as well as the opening track, does not match it for quality. The lounge jazz-funk is pleasant enough but is like the background music playing when Starsky and Hutch had to visit a seedy club. There is nothing memorable or distinctive about any of the tunes. Unfortunate, as the three Crusaders and the session players are incredible players - they just needed better material in which to display their talents.
sounds like the soundtrack to a decent procedural
I see the comments are complaing that this sounds like elevator or Weather Channel music. Well the Weather Channel slaps, and this does too. Street Life is awesome and it's nice listening to a jazz album that isn't all free form like the Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, and Davis I've gotten in the last month. I think my favorite part on this is the middle guitar-piano solos in Carnival of the Night. Though, if Street Life was a little less than 11 mins, that's what I would move to my playlist because it's great.
Smooth, subtle, boring.... sorry. Jackie Brown is an awesome movie though!
Great beats!
Generic jazz, not bad per se
Oh cool, elevator/dental office album to listen to before bloods comes out of my eyes.
The negative reviews of this album are kind of funny to me, especially when compared to the high praise Steely Dan gets around here. The degree of separation between the music on this record and Steely Dan is almost non-existent. It’s like, “I hate this, it’s elevator music. Now, would you please put on some Steely Dan, I need something exciting.” This place cracks me up, man. Don’t get me wrong, this record isn’t for me (nor is Steely Dan), it’s pretty damn cheesy (like Steely Dan), but let’s be honest with ourselves here - they’re not that different. As an alternative, here’s a funky, engaging fusion record to check out: The Blackbyrds’ 1974 self-titled debut lp. You’re welcome.
Not for me. Does nothing.
Jazz for people who do not like jazz said one of the previous reviewers of this album. I might be one of those people so wondered if this album might tickle my fancy. Due to involuntary subjection to the song Street Life over the years and to my shame I was able to sing along to the first track on the album. So I now know who actually recorded this annoying song but immediately deleted that knowledge. This deletion process was helped by what followed next. If there was ever a good example of monotonous “Muzak” well this is it. I fail to see or appreciate in what circumstances anyone could sit down and listen to this. Even as background Muzak I just couldn’t imagine having this on whilst stood painting my ceiling or having a tooth filled with this streaming from the Dentist’s radio. So remind me who recorded Street Life? 1/5 16/2/25
No song needs to be 11 minutes long.
Unfortunately Muzak-y
I really do enjoy jazz/jazz funk music. This album is 95% instrumental with 1 vocal song ("Street Life"). I like that song, however, it is over 11 minutes long. Grab the single version of it and groove out to that instead. The album version is a bit too long for enjoying on a daily basis. The rest of the album is solid. You can hear a lot of Crusaders influence on more modern jazz fusion/acid jazz groups like Jamiroquai. Good stuff. 4/5
Jazzy, funky and absolutely dated, but it still had me tapping my foot. I liked this a lot, and the title track is a banger.
First? 3/5 Again? 2,5/5
Great music
Street Life is amazing!!! Other songs nice too, but not amazing. 6.5/10
Tight arrangements and well produced sounding album of 70’s blended jazz. I never heard this album previously but will definitely add it to my collection of listening music. Probably more of a background relaxation mood album for me but definitely worth listening to again
Bad toothless elevator Jazz.
Great funk album. Funny enough the first song is the one i did not like.
Not my cup of tea
List: no
The opener is okay, nothing special, but it's too long. The rest is all instrumental - not awful, fine for background jazz. But why mix the opener and the rest on the same album? Odd.
Too much like a Wii menu and sexy sax man
A bit too jazzy for me, sounded good but not enough to return
Too much like smooth jazz. Something I expect to hear playing quietly in the background of my dental office. Not objectionable but also not very interesting.
Street life is such a tune, and I doubt I've ever listened to the full length track, so that was a pleasure. The rest of the album was pleasant enough!
Fun
Sounds fine but nothing I would revisit. Not bad for doing work though.
This was super boring to me
6/10 - Decent jazz but kind of faded into the background
Album was fine in the background. My Lady is sampled on a Mac Miller song from Faces that I really like, which was pretty fun to hear. As far as jazz goes this isn't doing enough for me to really care about it, but it's also not really bad
Friends pull up to drop some soul hits, I respect it. Disco beat drop is also sick. Super long songs, but I imagine they'd be a good vibe on a record player in the background. Kinda gets repetitive and at time the sax feels a bit corny.
definitely would have to be in the mood for this, but it was really good and i need to up my jazz knowledge so i appreciate that this came up
Interesting that this would randomly come up as if in a series of artists that are perfectly good, even interesting, but seem to fall into that middle place, where they are fine and have moments of glory but generally fit into a "yeah, they are OK" position within their genre and time space. I saw The Crusaders as funk/ disco/ instrumental jazz... Kind of an interesting hybrid and done well, but it never felt like "Ah! Now this is really something!" but always was "merely" entertaining. I like entertaining, entertaining is good! But entertaining is not necessarily memorable. Outside a nod to their hit title song, I don't think I will have The Crusaders on my daily playlist.
Det är något med sån här sax-musik som jag har lite svårt för. Inte att jag tycker det är dåligt men det klickar inte riktigt.
Pretty commercial jazz music from the late 1970s but it was good to listen to in the background, smooth and pleasant.
This is just ok. I don’t love a lot of jazz.
Ég vissi ekkert hverju ég bjóst við. Setti bara í gang og ætlaði að þrauka eitthvað rappalbúm þegar ég þekkti fyrsta lagið þegar það fór almennilega af stað og svo hélt platan bara uppi glimrandi stemmningu sem ég vissi ekki að ég væri að bíða eftir. Algjör gleðidjassbomba
nice jazz-pop sound
First song was good then it became background noise
I'm more impressed by the production than the music itself. This is just quintessential 70s with deep, smooth bass and dry staccato drums. Music wise, it sometimes gives off elevator music vibes, but a fun elevator with Blackjack and hookers. 2.7/5.
Sure.
Great vibes, but I can’t see myself listening to this a lot again— except for maybe a fun cleaning day. Seems like rough judgement, but hey it’s my choice
Lovely. Made me feel good inside.
Very smooth
Man this is some real cool dude shit.
Love it, would listen again every day and now a new band in my rotation
Some pleasant background jazz.
Pretty good. A pleasant surprise. Sounds like something I’d hear as background music in an older grocery store. This one caught me in the right mood.
Not bad but definitely a few steps from good. I very much enjoy jazz but this veered a little too close into Muzak Territory. Overall not much to write home about.
I’m genuinely confused as to why someone was insistent enough that I should listen to this that they put it on this list? It struck me as just generic, regular smooth jazz. Reminds me of music I’d hear in an elevator or shopping mall. It’s just …fine. I didn’t dislike this. I didn’t like this. It just is. I feel bad giving this a 2, but the personal scale I’ve been using for these ratings is that a 3 is ‘I liked it at least a little.’ This didn’t earn that.
Jazzy soul vibes. Great music to put on in the background when hosting
Street Life: 3/5. Did NOT have to be 11 minutes long. Cut it in half and it's at least an 8. Vocals fit, fairly good, instrumental is very nice, appreciate the Saxophone. My Lady: 3/5. No vocals, but could've used some of you wanted some. The instrumental was chill, but could've been better and flowed better from the beginning-ish keyboard to the saxophone and such. Rodeo Drive (High Steppin'): 3/5. Very groovy, almost somewhat Western like. The intro brought it down, and it definitely could have used some vocals. Still pretty good. Carnival of the Night: 4/5. Very much something you would hear walking by a "Live Performance" bar in New Orleans or something. Nothing much else to say. The Hustler: 3.5/5. Nothing wrong with it, just not as good as Carnival of the Night (I'm listening to this in order.) Night Faces: 4/5. Really good ending song, it's very similar to Carnival of the Night and The Hustler in terms of feel, but it overall id say I'd better, a bit faster pace, and overall I just like it more. Crusaders Album: 3.5/5. There were some mediocre, some okay, and some good. The first song was just far too long. Would at minimum be around a 4/5 if the song was cut in half. More vocals could've made it better, but also worse. I might listen to it again.
The album was alright not something could listen to on repeat the absence of vocals after the first song makes it feel a little empty and more like elevator music.
Great title track, but after reading the reviews calling the rest elevator music, I can’t unhear it.
I just find instrumental music hard, but I appreciate their talent
SHARKY'S MACHINE While I was excited to be reminded of The Venture Bros, I was over the moon to enjoy this banger of an album. Funky, groovy and overall just delightful. What a great time.
smooth jazz, nice!
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦. Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ Stand Out Songs: N/A A very mild Jazz album. Not terrible but literally not remarkable.
Cool funky jams to groove on
Not the best jazz album on the list but still enjoyable
Jazz. Background
I was glad when this finished.
2.5
Coming into this with no preconceived notions, having never heard of these guys, and only knowing that it was "Jazz", I liked it quite a bit. An interesting find, definitely contemporary, but also definitely jazz.
Pretty groovy. Familiar with title track but only as single version. Alfonso Johnson played on this one
This was fine but not sure what makes this stand out, I've listened probably 3 times all together and I'm pretty indifferent.
The title track again is the story here apparently. And while it's great, do they do anything sufficient to justify the eleven minutes? Ordinarily a fan of long songs but I've said this before on here, but in this case it's kind of just a loop of similar things, until it isn't, and then it ends. And well, I just prefer the disco version Randy Crawford did later. The remaining instrumental tracks, 70s smooth jazz. Erm. Yeah. It's ok! But no more than. The hold music reviewer was not far off.
Wow. At one point I literally thought "I'm bored, maybe I should put on some music". Absolute white noise to me
The Crusaders made one of my favourite songs but unfortunately it wasnt on this album it was pretty good, leaning towards a 4 but I cant rate it a 4 sadly. just not enough
Old funky inner city blah
smooth
Some great tunes on here. I will return.
One good song, the rest is muzak
This is terrific. Must listen? Not sure. But I like it.
A bit smooth for my taste. I have a live Crusaders album, which has a little bit more bite, but I find their jazz funk a little too polished on this album. I mean, I get that they were pitching this album to a more mainstream, audience, and who can blame them? Joe Sample, Wilton Felder and Stix Hooper had each been working musicians for probably 20 years by this stage and had earned a financial payoff. The title track is terrific (chef's kiss to Randy Crawford's sublime vocals), but the album just washes over me, making little impact. Title track aside, this is not the most interesting representation of the Crusaders work. But I hope they invested the proceeds of this album wisely and enjoyed their eventual retirement comfortably. Well earned, gentlemen!
Beautiful funky jazz album. Nothing misses, everything is where it should be. The melodies are light and varied. Loved it. Every song stood out.
Sounds good. Too bad that time has made it part of the background.
Great musicianship. Solid album.
Basically disco funk soul without the singing. Very smooth. Maybe too smooth. Songs are too long, otherwise not bad. Favorite song: streetlife
god this was dull. there were a moments where it got a little funky and i was like YIPPEE but then it went back to being what my brain perceives as standard muzak fare. i think it’s the tone of the keyboards which sound unbearably dated to me, especially on the final track.
Obviously very technically impressive but just not really for me. This kind of jazz is too shmaltzy for me and feels like elevator music, and the saxophone is just way too in your face for me.
If this wasn’t the soundtrack to Hill Street Blues, it should have been! Not my usual listening but would definitely listen again if in the mood for something jazzy.
Enjoyable jazz fusion, but the great title track is the key
Jazz not my thing. It keeps going and going, never to stop. This won’t be in my collection
Μαρεσει παρα πολυ αυτου του ειδους η chill jazz που σε χαλαρωνει και σ δινει ταυτοχρονα χωρο να σκεφτεις. Τελεια μουσικη για ενα βραδινο μαγαζι. Θα ξαναεπισκεφτω σιγουρα τον δισκο Rating: A-
6/10. Street life is a great song but the rest of the album feels like jazzy filler. Some good stuff by not really for me
Not offensive, but very elevator music adjacent.
Fun ride and easy to listen to esp when working
This was fun but I liked the vocals on the first track and wanted more of tht
Decent jazzy music if I was waiting on the phone for something
Elevator/ hold music. Decent for background
this is basically the definition of 'blandly pleasant"
Seventies Fusion Lounge Jazz. 'Nuff said.
Nice, but a little too long and much of the same
First song is an all-time classic and the album deserves 4 starts just because of it. The rest of the album is subpar soft jazz.
great album
Jazzy elevator music
6.5/10
Jazz, ein bisschen funkig
Chill. Funk. Jam. There it is. There is my review. I like it.
I've never liked jazz. This 1001 musical experiment has shown me that sometimes I do like jazz, but this isn't one of those times. This is exactly the jazz that I don't have patience for.
Op de opener na spraken de nummers mij niet aan, en vond ik ze over het algemeen vrij saai.
Overall: 5/10 Decent instrumental album, the title track with vocals is the best song though. Not something I'll listen to a lot. Fav Song: Street Life Least Fav Song: Carnival of the Night
Je connaissais une version plus courte de Street Life, mais pas plus. Cette version étendue est intéressante, avec toujours une ligne de basse superbe et des chorus plus longs. Les autres morceaux instrumentaux ne sont pas en reste. J'aime assez les chorus et l'ambiance funk/jazz. Bon moment donc, mais pas sur qu'il rejoigne ma collection (un peu éloigné de mes gouts musicaux). =>3/5
first listen very forgettable smooth jazz
Opening title track rapidly became tiresome, but enjoyed the other instrumental tracks.
Jazz with a bit of a funk
"Street Life" was the best track, but at 11 minutes long.... That's pushing it. The rest is just cheesy casting couch music. Not terrible, just not something I would reach for.
I found this to be pretty generic jazz albeit with lots of saxophone and horns.
Street life is a great Motown tune but I don’t care for the rest.
Schwieriger Disco Sound mit einigen Soul Elementen. Es ist noch mitreißend, eher nervtötend. Lassen wir das Ding im 70er Schrank.
2.5/5
Not bad, but this is mostlly background music. The first track was pretty good, but it has a 3 minute outro for no reason. D
A funkadelic trip through time. Lovely grooves and beats.
Solid drawing music.
A bit funky, but generally too lose to elevator music.
Very sugary.
Extremely smooth Soul record, with the title song being one of the genre's greatest gems. Also, it's the only song with vocals, and vocalist Randy Crawford was on the top of her game. The same can be said for everyone else involved. It's really quite good. 4/5
I just can't with light jazz. Like how many saxophone solos do you need to hear on one album?
A great album, loved it!
didnt like it much
Delivers what it sets out to do. Smooth sounds. Sunday morning clean your house music
‘Please continue to hold, your call is important to us’ I tried, I really did try. I just couldn’t do it and had to skip through most of the last 5 songs. Not for me.
Jazz….nice! Next time I am in a lift I will think of this album.
Ugh 70s chav sex/sax music of the worst kind again. This here is my musical kryptonite.
Can you have too much sax.... yes.
Street Life may be the only mainstream hit these guys have ever had but don't sleep on them otherwise. Late 70's jazz fusion has their fingerprints all over it and I'm glad they're included on this list.
Not for me
This is very cool and ultra smooth. Street Life is for sure the standout. The rest kind of blends into one track but is still great.
Smoove, very smoove! I'm a bit bemused at all the reviews calling this elevator music (derogatory) - those people only like music suited to one specific mood? Fave tracks - "Street Life" is the big one, of course - "My Lady" carries on the goodness....
perilously , endlessly Smooth jazz funk the likes of which might be a bit too indistinct to people who are inclined to just dismiss out of hand. for me tho this is basically the perfect thing to slot into the way i tend to use the albums in this project as my morning routine. probably nothing here will blow ur mind (except maybe the opening title track, with commandingly beautiful vocals from randy crawford), but its all finessed and lovable and artful...packed with genuine experience and a ton of sweet little keyboard parts. might have to come back to this one just to vibe out!
In a nutshell: easy listening boredom Adding vocals to the other tracks would have changed my mind about this album. The band is skilled, the beat is repetitive. This is music I'd hear while on hold to a utilities provider. Overall: 1/10
I've never heard of The Crusaders before, but I tend to enjoy albums from this era, so I have pretty decent expectations for this album. This album was fine, but I didn’t think it was particularly novel or noteworthy. The arrangements were well crafted and pleasant to listen to, but I didn’t really find much about it that stuck out to me. I did like that the whole album had a nice groove to it, and it flowed really nicely from song to song. I thought the title track was easily the best part of the album. The string and horn arrangements were great, and I loved the vocals. For a song with a really long run time, it did a great job at not wearing out its welcome. The whole album is smooth and pretty enjoyable, but that’s about it. Street Life isn’t a bad effort, but it’s not really for me.
The bandname and album title made me think this was gonna be a punkalbum. Too bad. Can't complain about the title track. That's a gripping song. However the rest reminds me of elevator music and soundtracks to terrible 80's sitcoms
I have a slight heart for soft jazz. I don't think any smooth jazz, quiet storm, whatever what you want to call it, ever gets above a four rating, because it never pushed any boundaries, but it's a nice enjoyable sound for me. This is definitely not one my favorites (or my favorites of the genre), but it works for what it is. (7.3) ★★★½ I don't feel this particular album is essential. If I were to replace this with another soft jazz album it would be Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good.
Smooth jazz, a bit too smooth for my taste, but thankfully a step above elevator music. 2.5 stars
The title track isn't bad, even if it goes on about 8 minutes longer than it should. The rest is competently played muzak. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to get a root canal while being on hold with the cable company, this is the album for you. 1 star.
The title track features the grand Randy Crawford, was used on the Jackie Brown soundtrack and is a scorcher of a funky disco soul anthem even if it is stretched for miles beyond its natural length. The rest of the album is immaculate, smoothalicious, background jazz funk of a very high order. Overall, not quite an uptown offering but still a virtuous showing from these coffee shop Crusaders. 3.5 stars.
такой джаз нравится меньше чем другой джаз. и уважаю стремящихся вокалистов, но не надо устремляться выше тональности
For star rating, press "one"
It's hard to comment beyond the already mentioned "this is elevator music". It absolutely is.
I am thrilled they popped up in the rotation today because I really enjoyed listening to this album. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-street-life-by-the-crusaders?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
love me some proggy funk bass..
I was thinking 3 stars until I realized how much I was dancing and grooving to this.
I feel bad for this band. They didn't ask to be elevator music. They just wanted to play cool ass jazz.
Mellow. Great background music for working, but not something I'd actively pay attention to.
Het eerste nummer met Randy Crawford is veruit het leukst, en daarna funkt het een beetje door. Niks mis mee, maar het dreigt af en toe net iets te veel liftmuziek te worden. Maar liever dit in de lift dan Sepultura of Pere Ubu.
Raten we nu een nummer of een album? Want meer dan Street Life is dit toch niet? Zowel in kwantiteit als in kwaliteit. En dat Street Life...meer dan 11 minuten....Wel een beetje veel hoor.
Op zich prima relaxte jazzy disco of blije jazz. Street Life is natuurlijk de bekende hit, dus dat is een prima binnenkomer. Daarna is het verder vrolijk gepiel. Af en toe lijkt het meer op jaren 80 sitcom achtergrondmuziek, maar ach, ook daar ligt wel wat nostalgie van de luisteraar. Prima voor op de achtergrond, net als in de sitcom.
Jazz isn't really my cup of tea... But, the 11:16 version of Street Life is quite good.
Not for me
I won't lie, an electric piano basically just always draws me right in. That smooth, round, cool sound and its lulling, subtle phaser just gets me. The Rhodes piano was just great, honestly. I'm very biased right off the bat to give it a great rating because of that. I'm not really sure why it's labeled as jazz, though. That would be like calling city pop jazz. I'm not exactly sure what you call this, though. It's very much like western city pop, though. It's certainly jazz *influenced*, but that doesn't make it jazz. Probably part of the reason some people don't like it. Mismatch between expectations and reality. The title track, Street Life, is just too damn fun. It's the sound of walking home at night, alone, on the street, after a fun night out. I, personally, don't really care about lyrics and others seem to say the lyrics are mismatched, but it's just all about the melody and feel for me. The other songs are good, too. Not nearly as memorable for me as Street Life, though. But I did like one or two on Spotify
Not bad as some backgroundmusic
not a bad album. fairly nice to listen to. i am a fan of this era of r&b and disco, but had never heard of this album or group before. while it's not bad, it's not really my cup of tea. it's definitely a "fusion" album insofar as it's a pleasant combination of jazz and r&b/disco. but because of that, it is a little bit more smooth than i tend to like my r&b. at times it feels like the music from the smooth jazz radio station that played in my childhood dentist's office. i think it's better than waiting room music, but it does have that feel to it. the musicianship displayed here is very good and extremely competent. overall, it was decent, but it's just not quite my taste.
Jazz, funk. Está bien.
American jazz. Instrumental. Bonico.
Hörenswert! Hatte ich nicht auf dem Schirm!
Jazz funk fatigue
nice and cheesy
Slickly produced jazz-funk-fusion album, with THAT track (with Randy Crawford's vocals.) All very smooth, but just has an air of being a soundtrack album for some Blaxploitation movie. Nothing special, but not at all objectionable.
Loved this
Street Life is ok. The rest didn’t hurt me. But I’m not chasing this down to hear it again.
Chill music; music describes a moment in time feeling wise without words
Felt like the first song would never end. Overall, this wasn't terrible.
I always really dug the Jazz Crusaders album with the shoes on it. This being the same group with a different name. Kinda love this short ass album opening with an 11 minute jazzy disco epic, I like it! It’s a fine album. Nothing groundbreaking
Music for a TV show about a couple of chill Californian cops who bust the investigation wide open on a new case every week, then go shred some narly waves while the credits roll. Take a 5-minute radio edit of “Street Life,” and throw the rest of this smooth jazz into the dollar bin so a budding hip-hop producer can practice chopping on their new MPC 3000.
Day257 - this is a forgettable album, the jazz sound is pretty good but just seems generic
К сожалению, альбом не зацепил, хотя музыка такого жанра мне очень нравится, несмотря на лёгкость и приятность звучания.
Хороший джаз
Good jazz vocal band from the late 70’s and 80’s.
Feels like the birth of Cool Jazz FM. There’s some sweet grooves on this one. My Lady and Carnival of the Night are genuinely excellent. Great instrumentals. Perfect for long drives, roller skating or sweet, sweet love making.
Late ‘70s smooth Jazz with a sprinkling of disco and funk. I liked the guitar solo in one of the songs, and bits of other songs. Some of it sounds like the theme song of a sophisticated early ‘80s tv show.
Forgettable smooth jazz. 2.4 stars
Not bad, not great, not anything I’m going to listen to again. I can respect the craft though.
Groooooooovy!
Smooth disco-infused jazz is pretty low down the list of musical styles I'd choose to listen to, but surprisingly this agreed with me, by and large: a perfectly adequate soundtrack to a bus ride on a sunny September day. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. 2.5
As a pretty big Jazz fan, I’m kind of disappointed in this. The title track is pretty good, but the rest is rather forgettable and conservative. Considering what was going on in the rest of the Jazz and Fusion scene at the time, it all seems a bit safe. It’s not unenjoyable, but I don’t see why it’s considered a classic
Funky
Great dance/disco/jazz fusion. Only the first song had vocals, which I found surprising. Sax is lead instrument throughout this jazz fusion album.
Kind of interesting light jazz.
This conjures up a smoky, jazzy ambiance that I guess I'm just not feeling.
smoooooth jazz.
Street Life 🎶
Not bad, but this is mostlly background music. The first track was pretty good, but it has a 3 minute outro for no reason. D
We mogen ruim 11 minuten genieten van het toch wel bekende 'Street Life' en daarna krijgen we er nog 5 iets minder ambitieuze nummers gratis bij. Ik vind het lastig te bedenken waarom dit in deze lijst zou thuishoren, behalve dan dat er wellicht een tekort aan jazz/soul zou zijn wat opgevuld moet worden. Het is niet de meest vervelende muziek in z'n soort, maar heel memorabel vind ik het ook niet. Een 2 of 3. Ik ga voor de zure 2.
Oh, I do wish I could rate out of 10. I liked this. Everyone saying on hold music has clearly not been on hold a lot. I probably won’t listen again but I enjoyed this while it lasted. Want to give it 3.5
The most jazzy jazz jazz could jazz. If you want to feel like you are in the lobby of a fancy hotel, this is the album for you. Jokes aside it’s solid if not a bit repetitive. 7/10
The first song was a pretty good jam, the rest of the tracks are easy listening disco flavored pop jazz that kind of just floated right past my ears.
Effervescent grooves that go down easy. The title track is probably the only required listening but it was all enjoyable/smooth as hell.
Street Life is a solid 4/5 track. The proceeding 30-minutes of jazz instrumentals wore a little thin, though. More Street Life, less instrumental.
Joe Sample's band, I like him.
Hardly engaging, does nothing to challenge the listener. Was waiting to see if they'd throw any curveballs, but none ever came. It's background elevator music.
I was driving around listening to this, and I felt so cool!
Not bad background jazz. It mostly doesn’t command your attention after the first track
Didnt knew i liked jazz
Not the biggest fan here. It's certainly not bad but it reminds me of eating in an Arby's or walking through an airport. Boring funk/jazz. 4/10 (2/5)
I had no idea what to expect with this one. I’d never listened to the Crusaders before, and was surprised in good and bad ways. The title track is the absolute standout, and while all the songs are pleasant, it really verges on elevator music at times. A lot of the tracks sounded familiar, but not in good ways. Like something you’d hear in a mall or a bad 80s sitcom or your very last backup preset radio station that you hope you never have to listen to but every other station is on commercials. Still, it was nice, pleasant, and somewhat enjoyable. I’m really struggling between a 2 and a 3 for this, but I think I’m rounding down. The strength of the title track just can’t quite carry the record.
This started OK with the title track which I already knew and liked. Unfortunately it then reverted to the usual "Listen to me showing off" borefest of most jazz albums.
Good listen
Ok
Good moments but then turns into the Wii sports menu music. 2.5
it's 1981 and you are in Great Neck Long Island listening to the greatest ever Bar Mitzvah cocktail hour band, trying to grab those tiny pig in blankets before the server disappears.
great jazz record. they couldve used vocals on them other tracks too but i still like the musical direction so imma go with a 3.5/5.0
Nice kicks! Short album but solid jams.
This isn’t super original and it’s a mistake to call it jazz but it’s super chill and funky. I take it over any of the hundreds of mediocre brit-rock bands on this list.
Really enjoyed the jazz vibes from '79
love this love this love this
Bon p'tit jazz
Very good Jazzers
I quite liked this. Lots of smooth swagger. Steely Dan-esque, mostly without the singing. I'm not always in the mood for this flavor of smooth jazz, but it certainly hits that spot.
Also not much to say about “Street Life” by The Crusaders… While I enjoy Traditional Jazz (i.e. Coltrane, Davis, Brubeck, etc.) and Brazilian Jazz (i.e. Jobim, Getz, Gilberto, etc.), the one genre that I dislike more than most others is “smooth” jazz – the bastardized version of jazz, and that’s what I found here… I will say, that for what they were trying to accomplish – they really did a fine job, and there were instrumental sections where the guitar work was extremely well done, and the sax was integrated nicely – but it still didn’t make up for the predominance of that over-produced, sax-drenched cliché – that is smooth jazz… The recording quality was pretty solid, but that’s about it… Best track IMO was “The Hustler” – as at least there were some compelling sections within that track, while the last track “Night Feces” represented everything I hate about this genre…
Really dull apart from the first song
Street Life is good, the rest is meandering elevator muzak. It's pleasant enough, but I would never go out of my way to hear it again. Made me feel like I was on hold and waiting for my call to be connected for half an hour.
The first track on this album is really good. Unfortunately, the rest of the album feels like you're stuck in an elevator with generic background music. 2
Juustoa on. On kaunista ja tyylillä tehtyä. Sinänsä ei siis pahaa sanottavaa, mutta tällainen hissimusiikin lämpöisyys ei tee mulle mitään. Paitsi saa huokaisemaan pienestä ärsytyksestä. Onneksi oli lyhyt levy.
Eivät tiedosta eroa musiikin ja hissimusiikin välillä, mikä saattaa olla rohkeaa, mutta johtaa aika turhan oloisiin lopputuloksiin. Jännää, koska eka biisi funkkaa ihan tosissaan.
'Street Life' is a fantastic song, a real classic, stand-out tune. The album as a whole is a nice listen. Good groove, crisp and funky. It's not that kind of jazz that disappears up its own rectum. 'Night Faces' (the last track) is the weakest - a bit muzaky - but the rest is cool.
calming, soothing, fades into the background (I don't pay too much attention to it but I'm at ease with the knowledge that it's there playing). as with all jazz
Nothing memorable except the first banger!
Street life was class, the rest didn't grab me but did feel like accessible jazz. May give it another go at some point
This was so good. But I'll probably never listen again.
I liked this, never gonna listen to it again, but I liked it
They may have changed their name but they are still swingsters!
smooth boring forgettable
Funky
Street Life // My Lady //
I think I've heard this album while waiting on hold with my bank.
Ouvir esse álbum andando na rua te faz sentir como o Tobey Maguire no Spider-Man 3 de 2007. 11 minutos não são suficientes para Street Life, eu não queria que acabasse de jeito nenhum.
lähestulko9n kokonaan instrumentaalinen projekti onnistuu täysin tåhtååmåånså tunnelmallisuuden täyttämiseen.. tavoite: fiilinki, suoritettu. toisin kun suomalaiset urheilijat... nyt tuli ns. worst case scenaario... no miksi se tulee jokaiselle samaan aikaan... taisi olla ihan normi suoritus kuitenkin... esitetään parempaa mitä oikeasti ollaan heh.. kuin lukioliikunta konsanaan.. ota kii ota kii... no otetaanpas... street life
Street Life has a really unique sounding opening that I enjoyed. But overall, I'm not a huge fan of jazz. I don't think I'm into it enough to appreciate what this album is and haven't really developed the ear for it. So listening to this album was a bit tiring at times. I did get some nostalgia from it though. It reminded me of late night drives we took when I was a kid and the music the live artist that used to play in Downtown Disney. I don't think I'll be coming back to this album anytime soon, but I'm glad I listened.
Very smooth, too smooth.