A Lasting Embrace

Album Review

Brainchild is best known for its straightforward pop instrumental releases, but San Diego guitarist Patrick Yandall adds a fresh hip-hop, jazz. and blues twist to the label's roster with his lively debut, A Lasting Embrace. Like Norman Brown, Yandall draws on the snappy Wes Montgomery electric guitar fusion tradition combined with the modern George Benson R&B edge. Yandall's influences are across the board, but he's most at home jamming alongside the frenetic B-3 textures of producer Andre Mayeux on swinging cuts like "Bailey's Dream" and "Mr. Fat Cat." On more conservative tunes like "A Game of Love," he eases back into the pleasant Fattburger type groove, going heavy on the smooth jazz radio programmer pleasing and light on innovation. While his chops, songwriting, and arrangements are solid, Yandall seems content to hold back and play it safe each time he's on the brink of letting loose with a solo, leaving the listener just a little frustrated at the possibilities that go unrealized.