Up Close & Personal

Blue Etude is real jazz by American jazz artists -- AND it's listener friendly! Five #1 hits on jazz radio all around the country. Flute, cello, piano, guitars, drums & vocals contribute to the magic of the music. Every tune is a different style of blues, from funk to dirty to a waltz.

On her debut album, Up Close and Personal, New York radio personality Angie Martinez attempts to step outside her DJ role and into that of an MC. But an unpolished flow and unsophisticated lyrics will hopefully keep Martinez from quitting her day job. Up Close is not a complete flop, however. Martinez may not be a wordsmith, but she knows what one sounds like and had the good sense and connections to include some of hip-hop's biggest names on her album. Martinez is at her best on songs like the capricious Latin-music-inspired "Coast 2 Coast" with Wyclef Jean, and the flirtatious "Mi Amor" with Jay-Z. And to her credit, Martinez holds her own on the independent woman's anthem "Breathe" featuring the lulling vocals of Mary J. Blige and La India. Up Close probably won't be nominated for hip-hop album of the year, but Martinez's obvious love for the music and intelligent choices in collaborators give the album a level of integrity that cannot be denied. --Felicia A. Wilks