Rhythm and Romance was something different, but this new one coming out certainly is not. It seems as though he would realize that smooth jazz radio is almost dead. Maybe that is the type of music that he really wants to make. Maybe he has been doing it for so long that it is all he knows.

Peace and goodwill.

Kenny G makes the most profit of this genre. Why should he change the format even when the old radio supporters left the ship? Kenny G has his fan community. For sure!

Honi soit qui mal y pense.

Kenny G isn't the only one in this genre that needs to break the habit of being complacent. Kenny G has done different types of music, e.g., jazz standards and latin. It's 2010 and a lot of these guys are sounding like the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Not all artists are so courageous to try new concepts and some of these concepts like for example the introduction of rap or techno music into smooth jazz don't work after my opinion. It's always a question of taste and/or personal identification.

For example Rick Kelly as techno interpret on 2010 is a no go for me. I like his old style.

Sure we might like to see someone play something more along the lines of what we like and for the most part I do think that most artists are aware of what their fan base is and try to stay close to that. But in the end I do think that musicians are going to play what makes them feel good. If they can make a living at it so much the better. There is so much to choose from that it is really fair to be overly critical of someone just because they do not play what we like?

All I'm asking for is some contemporary sounding production.

I listened to Kenny G's 'Heart and Soul' and think it suffers from many of the issues other users have complained about. On a few tunes, he brought in more contemporary sounds like reggae-ton and a dance club beat. However, the drum programming on a few of the tracks was like 1990.

I would have recommended that Walter Afanasieff listen to how Stargate(Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen) does their drums--not overbearing but funky enough to drive the tune.

Programming isn't necessarily bad, but with the technology available, there's really no excuse for it to sound like the cookie-cutter stuff from the '90s.

Even narrow-minded me can agree with that. I am weary of the fake sounding pops, clicks, and claps that pass for percussion in so much popular music.

I did download the last two tunes from Mr G's new one. Peace and goodwill.

I didn't understand that Kenny G didn't take a professional percussionist and an excellent drummer with the great budget he had for this recording. He used a complete orchestra, while other artists use samples or just one violinist in overdubbing mode.

These days, the fake drum sounds may be the sounds the song producer wants on the track. It's not about being able to afford a drummer. Sometimes an electronic drum sound may be what's needed so the music makers can tweak it until it's just right.