The former NBA star, killer bass player, and fun-loving character with the bright smile came into his own with 1998's brilliant
Decisions, which marked his first project since retiring from basketball. On this solid but slightly less spectacular follow-up, he seems caught on the fence between slick, soulful
smooth jazz with heavy
R&B grooving, and friendly vocals that could blend in on any
urban station. Not surprisingly, the instrumentals carry the price of admission. The
retro-soul-minded
"Loveplay" features
Nick Moroch's swirling acoustic guitar lines behind
Tisdale's thoughtful melody, which duets in certain passages with
Steve Cole's always rich sax lines.
Tisdale and
Cole keep up that magic on
"Brand New," a thoughtful romance featuring a chorus with
Cole doing a full horn section along with
Tisdale's brooding lines.
"Brazilia" is a breezy slice of
exotica floating
Tisdale's bass over
Moroch's gentle acoustic guitar breezes; "spacey tropicality" would be a good definition of this vibe. The best non-vocal is a simmering, brassy cover of
Earth, Wind & Fire's
"Can't Hide Love," which features some of
Tisdale's most muscular playing over a rising three-piece horn section. The vocals almost seem designed to be showcases for groups and singers that need more exposure.
"When I Opened My Eyes" features
Out of Eden,
"If I Ever" is led by
Ericka Smith, and
"Stay" has
Carnell Murrell.
Tisdale himself does an admirable job singing on the title track, yet all of these vocals have a certain similar "bedroom eyes
ballad" vibe to them; nice but not thrilling by any means. Overall, a solid commercial mixed bag, but somewhat lacking the energy and diversity that made
Decisions one of that year's best. ~ Jonathan Widran
![Come Away With Me [20th Anniversary]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602445077632_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Come Away With Me [20th Anniversary]")
