Beyond Words

1	Invocation 7:10
2	Kalimba Suite 3:40
3	A Silken Road 4:28
4	Fertile Field 5:44
5	Dervishes 2:15
6	Ziggurat 5:20
7	Sisters 1:22
8	Circlings 1:14
9	Chanson 1:30
10	Windows 4:01
11	Marlowe 4:08
12	Mass 2:40
13	Pat & Joe 2:11
14	Taylor Made 4:22
15	A Piece, A Chord 3:46
16	Monks/The Shepherd 2:48

Barnes & Noble

No musician more palpably embodies the principle that the voice is an instrument than Bobby McFerrin, who on Beyond Words, his first recording in five years, demonstrates that the phrases "tour de force" and "beyond category" might have been customized specifically for him. Over the course of a wordless 16-track suite, including 15 originals and Chick Corea's "Windows," McFerrin multi-tracks all the voices and elicits rich orchestral texture from the Roland XP-80 keyboard. The effect is seamless, sui generis McFerrin, blending scales, melodies, and rhythms from Africa and the diaspora ("Invocation," "Kalimba Suite," "Pat and Joeq"); the Near East ("Dervishes"); the Far East ("The Silken Road"); European devotional ("Chanson," "Mass," "Monks/The Shepherd"); jazz ("Ziggurat," "Fertile Field"); and hip-hop ("Taylor Made"). Expertly collaborating on the journey are pianist Chick Corea (a frequent partner over the past decade), bassist-guitarist Richard Bona, drum master Omar Hakim, percussionist Cyro Baptista, and keyboardist-arranger Gil Goldstein, each a skilled, intrepid searcher. Without uttering a word, they make music that tangibly connects the listener to music's primal root, the encoded sounds that formed the stuff of archetype, narrative, and myth when music and language were indistinguishable. There's nothing esoteric about Beyond Words, though; grounded in ancient verities and animated by pluralistic imperatives, it's an inspiring, addictive listen. Ted Panken

All Music Guide

Creative vocalist Bobby McFerrin's return to Blue Note after a nearly ten-year absence indicates a possible desire for a return to improvised jazz, and in a way distancing himself from the classical works he had become increasingly associated with. Working again with pianist Chick Corea and producer Linda Goldstein, his 2002 album, Beyond Words, is reminiscent of the other McFerrin/Corea collaborations (Play, The Mozart Sessions), but somehow these mostly improvised works lack the spark that their previous partnerships have created. Ably backed by Corea's bright piano, Omar Hakim on drums, and Richard Bona on bass, the songs feel to be all the same texture for the most part, never reaching any kind of a peak throughout the album. Beyond Words is a moody and dark affair, with subtle layers of McFerrin's undulating vocals weaving in and out of the musical bed, but instead of sounding earthy and natural, the album is punctuated by synthesized instruments that pull the recordings dangerously close to smooth jazz territory. Unfortunately, by taking one of the most articulate players of man's earliest instrument and layering it in slick, fretless basslines and synthetic Roland XP-80 chords, it almost defeats the purpose of hearing his voice altogether. Still, it is an excellently performed and cleanly produced document of both McFerrin and Corea's abilities, ideal for gentle background textures on a night in alone. Zac Johnson