Jon Lucien - By Request (1999)

Jon Lucien reaches back into his own songbook here to update 11 favorites for the '90s. He takes his time revisiting these old friends -- only one of the 11 cuts clocks in at less than five minutes. Not surprisingly, his voice has grown even mellower than in his '70s heyday, which gives added luster to the ballads "Dindi" and "The Shadow of Your Smile." He also gets to improvise on the melodies more, and show off his scatting prowess. Though a bit more soloing from the band might have added to the overall effect, By Request is one of those rare cases where the singer has something new to add to his own classics. ("Rashida," added to the disc as a bonus track, comes from Lucien's previous disc, Endless Is Love.) © Frank Federico