Though young jazzer Brian Culbertson's boyish good looks make it tempting to lump him in with Harry Connick, Jr.-like neophytes Michael Buble and Peter Cincotti, this Illinois native is actually an instrumentalist who's been plying his trade since putting out the self-released debut LONG NIGHT OUT. COME ON UP is Culbertson's seventh album, and for this outing, he goes for a funkier sound that harkens back to a childhood spent cutting his teeth on the sounds of early Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Tower of Power. Weaving an R&B-flavored thread throughout these dozen songs, Culbertson cuts loose with a few special guests including saxophonist Steve Cole, (the brassy "Say What?"), trumpeter Rick Braun (a sultry "Last Night"), guitarist Norman Brown (the crackling "Come On Up"), and R&B vocalist Rahsaan Patterson (the soulful "Fly High"). The centerpiece of this album turns out to be a sinewy instrumental reading of the Earth, Wind & Fire nugget "Serpentine Fire." Despite the lite-jazz designation this album will undoubtedly get when it hits record store bins, COME ON UP is trimmed with enough funky snap to put it beyond the flavorless stereotype this genre sometimes conjures up.
