I always feel a little torn when I do a review of a smooth jazz album. But in spite of the disregard in which it's held by many jazz fans, it is a very popular musical format. Personally I have a kind of love-hate relationship with it, although that might be a little strong — a more accurate characterization would be like-dislike. If I'm driving and find a smooth jazz radio station, I enjoy the soothing sound for a while but then inevitably it begins to sound repetitive to me, and if I keep it on too long it makes me drowsy.

On the other hand, there's little doubt that smooth jazz is the ultimate mood music for a large segment of listeners, and even critics would have to admit that there are some very talented artists performing in the genre. Which brings us to the album we're reviewing, Paul Brown & Friends' White Sand, a brand-new release from Peak Records, and his first with them but third overall.

Brown is a respected Grammy-winning producer who has generated albums for many of the biggest names in music, causing him to be known by insiders as "the Babyface of smooth jazz". But he's also a talented jazz guitarist, and his popularity as a performer in the smooth jazz milieu has grown to the point where he's reached star status. Last year, “Winelight”, from his album The City, was ranked by Mediabase as the genre’s most spun track of the year.

On this album, he's bringing in some guest stars (the "friends" mentioned in the title) and not surprisingly he's leaning pretty heavily on smooth jazz mainstays like long-time friend Boney James, who does his thing on "Ol' Skoolin'", and trumpeter Rick Braun, smoother yet on "Mr. Cool". Continuing the theme is pianist David Benoit, who duels with Brown's guitar to good effect on "R 'n' B Bump", a tune I enjoyed although it didn't strike me as particularly "R&B" in spite of the name.