Description
The Players is an instrumental multi-artist album project released by Warner Alliance in February 1996. The album was produced by Bobby Blazier and the players. Mixed by Terry Christian, assisted by Jason Wilder, at the Sound Kitchen in Brentwood, Tennessee. It features one original song each from nine American studio musicians, like keyboardist/producer Michael Omartian as well as two former White Heart members; guitarist Dann Huff and bassist Tommy Sims.
“Nine of the most gifted sidemen step forward to celebrate their faith through their music.”
As a general rule, there’s far too little attention paid to the excellence of supporting instrumentalists in the Christian music field. To be sure, we’re quick to credit soloists who may contribute an outstanding passage to a vocal project. And some folks love to scour CD covers to keep abreast of who’s backing whom. But with the lyrical content being the focus of most Christian albums, the session player is usually relegated to a sort of “anonymous celebrity” status.
It can be a lucrative career. Between the nine men who make up The Players, they’ve toured or recorded with artists responsible for millions of album sales and dozens of platinum record awards. World renowed artists from Bruce Springsteen to Michael Jackson to Amy Grant to Elvis Presley have utilized their talents. Chances are if you’ve turned on a Christian or mainstream radio station today, you’ve heard Michael Omartian, Dann Huff, Shane Keister, Tommy Sims, Chris Rodriguez, Tom Hemby, Mark Douthit, Terry McMillan and Eric Darken in various combinations.
However, artistic satisfaction is not often rewarded to these session players. So to be given the opportunity to make a personal musical statement proved an irresistable offer for these superlative musicians. The nine Players were asked by executive producer Bobby Blazier to contribute an original song; each of them in turn called upon colleagues of equal calibre to arrange and perform those tunes. In addition, the group is joined by drummer Paul Leim for a jam entitled «10-Q», an exciting improvisation which went from a Omartian/Sims idea to a finished song in two hour! That same track offers the first of many hot sax solos by Douthit, and finds Sims and Huff getting in their licks as well.
But each track has its own rewards. «D-Nile» is a showcase for Omartian’s acoustic piano playing, something that he doesn’t often get a chance to do. Sims has Omar’s back with a fluid bass attack, while Darken checks in with some sweet vibraphone passages. Hemby’s «Love Is» offers a listen to several sides of his acoustic and electric playing, while also showcasing daughter Natalie and brother Ron on vocals. Douthit’s «Enuff Said» is a nod to old school funk/fusion and his early influences, such as David Sanborn and Michael Brecker, while on «To Be Forgotten», Huff shows how deeply emotional a guitarist he can be. Terry McMillian’s «Soul Surfin» is a Latin-tinged romp reminiscent of vintage Santana and War; his delightful performance raises the harmonica out of the country/blues ghetto to which it is often consigned. On «Onyx», Keister, perhaps best known for his synth and programming skills, also gets a chance to shine on piano, while percussionist Darken proves to have a fine melodic sense on his composition, «Best of Both Worlds». Chris Rodriguez (who really needs to make a vocal album), displays his exceptional abilities on guitar on «The Valley», while Sims caps the collection with a funk-fest entitled «A Night At the Golden ‘O’».
‘The Players’ is an overdue tribute to just a few of the hardest working men in show business. It’s a celebration of the talents of nine gifted musicians. And it’s just plain fun. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, April 1996]
What makes a (mostly) instrumental album ‘Christian’? In this case when the tracks are written and performed by Christian session musicians coming out from the anonymity of the studio, with the exemplary motive of raising funds for Feed The Children, a US charity. There are nine Players on this album (Michael Omartian, Tom Hemby, Mark Douthit, Dann Huff, Terry McMillan, Shane Keister, Eric Darken, Chris Rodriguez and Tommy Sims) performing 10 tracks, all except the first being individual efforts, reflecting individual styles and musical ideas. All have musical credits which include the best of American CCM, as well as the secular scene. Indeed, it’s some of the secular influences which flavour the album with hints of Steely Dan and George Benson. As you would expect with such a pedigree the production is first rate, but I fear this is the sort of album which will hang around on the shelves of your local Christian bookshop, more’s the pity, because when you’re in the right frame of mind it’s worth a second look and more than a second hearing. [John Daniels, Cross Rhythms, December 1996]
CD tracklist:
01. The Players – 10-Q – 4:49
02. Michael Omartian – D-Nile – 4:56
03. Tom Hemby – Love Is – 5:00
04. Mark Douthit – Enuff Said – 5:17
05. Dann Huff – To Be Forgotten – 4:55
06. Terry McMillan – Soul Surfin’ – 3:26
07. Shane Keister – Onyx – 4:29
08. Eric Darken – Best Of Both Worlds – 4:16
09. Chris Rodriguez – The Valley – 4:43
10. Tommy Sims – A Night At The Golden O – 6:32
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Warner Alliance.
A full-page advertisement for the multi-artist compilation The Players was featured in the February 1996 issue of CCM Magazine.
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