AMG Review of Private Passion

Alex Henderson
All Music Guide

Jeff Lorber reached his commercial peak with Private Passion, an album that has more to do with urban contemporary singing than it does with instrumental pop-jazz. Because it features R&B singers so prominently, Private Passion is a perfect example of what Lorber meant when, in 1998, he complained that the mid-'80s found him becoming "a sideman on my own records." In the 1990s, the keyboardist would return to giving himself a lot of solo space, but on Private Passion, Lorber the soloist/instrumentalist isn't the main attraction. The main attraction is the R&B singing of Michael Jeffries and Karyn White, whose memorable performance on the single "Facts of Love" not only put her on the map in the R&B market, but also did a lot to make this album the big seller it was. Private Passion does contain a few pleasant, if unremarkable, pop-jazz/NAC instrumentals. Freddie Hubbard takes a melodic flügelhorn solo on "Kristen," while guitarist Larry Carlton is employed on the Caribbean-flavored "Jamaica." But on the whole, Private Passion leaves jazz fans out in the cold, although it's often impressive and rewarding from an urban contemporary standpoint.