As its title portends,
Black Velvet
boasts a smooth, rich texture absent from
O'Donel Levy
's subsequent
Groove Merchant
sessions -- its mellow, stoned-soul sensibilities nevertheless complement the guitarist perfectly, affording him the space to weave a series of righteously beautiful solos. Like so many
efforts, the album relies far too much on the pop charts for material -- pap like
"You've Made Me So Very Happy,"
"I'll Be There,"
and
"Theme from Love Story"
turns up like bad pennies -- but the arrangements are lovely, spotlighting contributions from organist
Charles Covington
, reedist
Fats Theus
, and trumpeter
Billy Skinner
.
Levy
also proves himself a composer of some distinction, contributing a pair of charming originals,
"Granny"
"Nature's Child."
~ Jason Ankeny