Kenny G is often quoted as defending his crowd-pleasing sound as instrumental pop, not jazz (despite having taken his turn at the music of Ellington, Monk, and other masters on 1999's Classics in the Key of G). Whatever-you certainly know by now whether or not you like this stuff. The multiplatinum smooth-sax man, though, has charted a steady course of blandness broken only by the occasional obnoxious foray into something he seems to think is funk. This CD of popular favorites brings every emotion down to the level of the Muzak-ready "Songbird", which made G a US radio staple in 1987: whether accompanying Sinatra via technology or defacing the memory of Sam Cooke with the egregious Michael Bolton, it's all white noise. -Rickey Wright.

There's a whole slew of R&B fans who fiend for D'Angelo, because he doesn't sound like your run-of-the-mill soul smoothie, and flashes of uniqueness are what keeps many of the slew from slitting their throats in frustration over the everyday ho-hum state of affairs. Enter singer-songwriter Donell Jones, whose second effort asks the question "What makes a hit?" The answer is his single "U Know What's Up": hooks upon hooks, a catchy melody and a sexy but low-key vibe, put together in a way that's more than just retro-trendy. The rest of the Where I Wanna Be is classy and idiosyncratic without being too artsy-a perfect buy if you need a break from all the preening and smoke blowing that's all too common. -Amy Linden.

Zero 7's ability to conjure beautiful lullabies with all the romance of 1960s French pop, as found on their debut long-player Simple Things, would have made them the toast of soundtrack composers and chillout connoisseurs the world over. Unfortunately, two French men beat Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker to the title of Masters Of Comedown Cool, leaving the London duo to a life time of being termed the British Air. And justifiably so to some degree; the similarities between Zero 7's lush cinematic soundscapes and those of Air's Moon Safari and The Virgin Suicides Soundtrack are so strong as to sound almost intentional. Nonetheless, their debut is a truly gorgeous album. All the tried and tested atmospheric tricks are in play-bleeps and whooshes layered over plodding Fender Rhodes chords, swathes of strings and tender trumpet parps-but it's Binns & Hardaker's languid grooves and the soft melancholy of their melodies that make dream-state instrumentals "Give It Away" and "Polaris" utterly enchanting. The real power of Simple Things, however, is in its songs. As beautiful as their ambient strains are, it's when laid beneath the seductive vocals of Australian diva Sia on the ethereal "Destiny" or the heart breaking "Distractions" that their potency becomes apparent. With such moving tracks as these, Zero 7 dispel the notion that Simple Things is just another collection of nice background music and that they're just riding on Air's coattails. -Dan Gennoe.