Accentuate the Positive

1	Cold Duck 3:46
2	The Nearness of You 3:44
3	I'm Beginning to See the Light 4:05
4	My Foolish Heart 5:33
5	Midnight Sun 6:01
6	AC-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive 4:03
7	Betty Bebop's Song 4:17
8	Waltz for Debby 4:44
9	Groovin' High 4:11
10	Lotus 5:11
11	Scootcha-Booty 4:25

Barnes & Noble

Al Jarreau has always had considerable jazz chops, but he hasn’t always been given the chance to strut his swinging stuff. With Accentuate the Positive he gets to shine as a jazz singer. Let loose on both Great American Songbook standards (“The Nearness of You,” “My Foolish Heart”) and jazz classics (“Midnight Sun,” “Groovin’ High,” “Waltz for Debby”), Jarreau proves that he’s still got what it takes to bend and shape a song with rhythmic glee yet still radiate expressive joy and exuberance. Jarreau doesn’t take any chances with his support team; he's surrounded by some of the best jazz players on the contemporary scene, including bassist Christian McBride, drummer Peter Erskine, and guitarist Anthony Wilson (each of whom can also be heard in prime form on Diana Krall’s Girl in the Other Room). The resulting project has the potential to gain the still-evolving veteran vocalist a whole new audience, one that hears him as a focused and fluent jazzman rather than a middle-of-the-road pop star. William Pearl

All Music Guide

Although centered around songs from the 1940s, Al Jarreau's Accentuate the Positive is another stellar modern jazz album that continues the winning streak he began with his 2000 comeback, Tomorrow Today. Similar to his previous effort, the R&B-infused All I Got, the album features classy production from Tommy LiPuma and a natty cast of backing musicians, including bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Anthony Wilson, among others. Centered around Jarreau's still limber and evocative vocals, Accentuate moves from uptempo bluesy numbers like Eddie Henderson's "Cold Duck" to lush ballads, including "My Foolish Heart" and reworked standards, most notably "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive," turned here into a funky and expansive toe-tapper. This is a solid, poignant, and straight-ahead album that showcases Jarreau's unique gift in the best light possible and should appeal to longtime fans and contemporary jazz listeners alike. Matt Collar