To paraphrase a well-known slogan, Chi-Town native Nick Colionne does more with his talents during a typical season that what most folks do with theirs in a lifetime. It would be enough for many to perform, garner airplay, sell units and tour, but not for this guitarist, vocalist and award-winning humanitarian. Having honed his skills under the tutelage of his stepdad and playing as a teen with some of music’s most recognizable and respected musicians (Curtis Mayfield, Natalie Cole and The Staple Singers), Mr. Colionne uniquely combines his love for music and mentorship, putting in sixteen years as an instructor at Elgin, IL’s St. Laurence K-8 School (and counting), providing scholarships and contributing to breast cancer awareness even as he tours and records. Feel The Heat, his seventh CD, continues the winning streak of animated and genre-bending contemporary jazz.
Mr. Colionne’s excellence on the ax is best displayed on the more upbeat selections: “The Connection” is a saucy mid-tempo selection, and a deceptively smooth intro gives way to a pert, plucky groove in the opening track, “Some Funky.” “Wessin’” has an old-school, seventies’ era flair. There’s an obvious bluesy bent in “Po’ House,” due to the desolate picture it paints about falling on hard times, but his vocals still retain a glint of humor even as he berates himself for self-induced poverty: “A ten bedroom mansion up in Hollywood, at least a dozen honeys all trying to treat me good/Designer fashions, the best that money could buy. And before I knew it, my cash flow went dry.” In contrast, the shimmery “It’s Gonna Be Alright” offers unfettered optimism and can put pep in the step of even the most reluctant jazz listeners. Relaxation and romance can be found here as well: “Let’s Spend Some Time,” is an invitation to secluded seduction, and “Midnight and You” displays the conflict when career ambitions bring in both the loot and the loneliness: “I know you understand that with me it’s not a game/ I do the best I can to be a household name/Playing my guitar is what I have to do/even though I miss the midnights with you.”
Feel The Heat is a competently-composed CD and polished in its production, but if there’s any major drawback to be found, it’s in the singing. Mr. Colionne is definitely more expressive on the strings than he on the mic: his baritone range, although warm, doesn’t always do the tracks justice and some of the performances range from serviceable (“Can’t Let Go”) to downright lethargic (“Midnight and You”), which deflates the energy of otherwise stellar songs. But if listeners can overlook these (thankfully brief) ‘wet blanket’ moments, there is still a lot of glowing moments in this …..Heat. Recommended.
By Melody Charles
