With the temperature in Kansas City occasionally reaching 100 degrees this summer, thousands of area residents are desperate to find ways to cool off. Red Tiger, the latest release by Kansas City bassist Blair Bryant, offers a quick fix. Hitting play on the smooth jazz album is like taking a refreshing plunge on a scorching day.
The sultry Sade-isms of “Kiss of Life” might make the song the feel-good hit of the summer in an alternate universe. The horn lines of “Medusa’s Mirror” echo Hugh Masekela’s classic hit “Grazing in the Grass.” A breezy arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s 1982 hit “That Girl” is equally invigorating.
Focusing on Bryant’s vigorous fusion-esque electric bass on tracks like “Power Up!” is as pleasantly hypnotic as watching an icon on a screensaver bounce off the edges of a computer monitor. Fifty-four minutes of carefree fun, Red Tiger is a crisp oasis hidden in a steamy, anxious summer.
