New Releases : In Brief

** Gerald Albright, “Smooth,” Atlantic. Perhaps popularity is making Albright--a talented hornman with a juicy sound on alto, tenor and soprano saxophones--lazy. This date doesn’t really deliver. On top of punchy R&B; grooves and in between the here-then-gone vocals provided by the likes of Lalah Hathaway and Will Downing Jr., Albright offers predictably melodic, safe solos that, for the most part, fail to engage the listener. More stuff with whammy, like the opening of “Anniversary,” where Albright sashays over a sax choir over-dub, is needed.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended), four stars (excellent).