Tenderness;

For "Tenderness," singer Al Jarreau combined the best aspects of the studio and a live setting. He invited not only an allstar band but also a small audience of fans and friends into an L.A. studio. The result is the best possible environment for an Al Jarreau album. He responds with the fluid, ornamental vocal lines he's famous for. He does a fine job with the snaking rhythms of Jorge Ben's standard "Més que mada" and with the sentimental hook of Goffin & King's "Go Away Little Girl." Jarreau still can't resist the temptation to sing three notes where one will do; this is especially obvious on his overly cluttered duet with opera diva Kathleen Battle on Rodgers & Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things." --Geoffrey Himes