Surrender

1	This Is Love 4:06
2	Pata Pata 4:23
3	Surrender / Boney James 4:42
4	Take Me Back 4:36
5	Wake Up 4:16
6	Thoughts of You 4:00
7	Back to Love 4:14
8	River of Life 4:15
9	Many Faces 5:06
10	African Moon 4:13

Barnes & Noble

The South African-born guitarist and singer Jonathan Butler gives both the instrumental and the vocal sides of his abundant talent a fine showing on Surrender. His warm singing can be heard on the majority of the tracks, while his equally inviting acoustic guitar work is not only layered throughout but highlighted on five tracks including “Pata Pata,” a remake of fellow South African Miriam Makeba’s ‘60s hit, and “Surrender,” which also features saxophonist Boney James. Mixing sweet-soul R&B with smooth jazz is Butler’s game, and he does it with ease and assurance. His songs -- Butler wrote the majority of the tracks here -- express their sentiments with unaffectedness and heart. The easy groove and melodious feel that permeate the entire album builds a satisfying mood that Butler joyfully sustains. Surrender succeeds primarily through Butler’s sincerity as a popular artist: He makes you attend to what he sings and listen with pleasure to what he plays. William Pearl

All Music Guide

Smooth jazz superstar Jonathan Butler gets his album, Surrender, off to a surprisingly rootsy start with "This Is Love," featuring live drums and Butler's trademark vocals. Butler has always expressed a deep soul influence and the whole album has a Stevie Wonder-lite sound about it. Despite the fact that the guitarist favors belabored introductions that merely set up predictable melodies and grooves, fans of Butler should find much to enjoy here. "Take Me Back" has a nice folk feel, kind of like James Taylor meets Babyface and contains just the hint of African vocal harmony on the intro. Similarly, "Back to Love" is a catchy R&B groover with much crossover appeal. This track, as others on Surrender, might have benefited from slightly hipper production, such as a two-step dance beat ŕ la Craig David's "Fill Me In," but satisfies nonetheless. Matt Collar