Designated Hitter

In Gooding’s essay, he posits this query: “[If you] would rather bury your head in overpriced replica ‘spiritual jazz’ artifacts than check out $5 TBA Damon Rentie titles, then smooth has successfully achieved its radical task: for the first time in the history of jazz music, you are not there.” Rentie’s music doesn’t feel exclusionary though. He served as saxophonist/ flautist on early Atlantic Starr and El Debarge albums before striking out on his own. There’s some “maybe don’t sing” R&B balladry as well as twitchy, tweaky funk like “Doheny Drive” and “The Nomad,” driven by George Shaw’s sneaky “computer-controlled synthesis.” From Rentie’s tomato red puffy shoulder sports jacket to his pitchy yet enthusiastic singing, Designated Hitter embodies California smooth, warts and all.