As smooth jazz superstar Norman Brown limbers up for his now annual ‘Summer Storm’ concert tour (that gets underway July 16 at the Hyatt, Newport Beach, CA) there could be no better time for him to release his latest CD, the excellent ‘Sending My Love’. Due out June 21 on Concord Records it firmly returns him to the easy grooving guitar driven smooth jazz with which he made is name. For his fans both new and existing this is an album that is sure to find massive favour. As early as the opening track, the infectious ‘Come Go With Me’, Brown lays down a marker as to the musical direction of this exquisite collection. It is a tune which displays the unmistakable style of this undoubted guitar maestro and he is again superb for the mid tempo ‘Thinking About You’ that is embellished with a delightful trace of velvety horns. With the red thread of Latin rhythm running right through it, ‘Play Time’ is another opportunity for Brown to show off his jazzily intricate playing and when he switches to his under utilized singing voice the result is the heart warming ‘Celebrate Me Home’. Despite the surprise of finding a seasonal tune in mid summer this, nevertheless, is a welcome addition and Brown is also in fine vocal form for the distinctly romantic ‘One Last Goodbye’ that also betrays his penchant for an urban vibe. In fact Brown’s previous CD ‘Stay With Me’ was replete with the kind of urban influences that currently permeate the landscape of contemporary jazz and he briefly goes back there for the extremely easy on the ear ‘I’m Pouring My Heart’. Brown uses ‘Special Moments’ to fashion an introspective gem which is totally typical of his distinct approach and he stays in mellow mode for the atmospheric title cut that benefits from restrained yet powerful backing vocals. ‘Coming Back (Return Of The Man)’ not only puts Brown back in his familiar mid tempo groove but also close up and personal with a sizzling keyboard solo that sets the track apart as one of the album’s finest. However, that said, right up there with it is the seductively understated ‘Here’s My Number’. With a wow factor that is indecent and backing vocals which, late in the piece, come in like a gift from god, this might just be a metaphor for the very best of the genre.