| Urban Knights IV | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Urban Knights | ||||
| Released | 2001 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Label | Narada | |||
| Producer | Ramsey Lewis (Exec.), Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph | |||
| Urban Knights chronology | ||||
| ||||
Urban Knights IV is the fourth studio album by the jazz group Urban Knights released in 2001 on Narada Records. In the US, the album reached No. 2 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.
Overview
Urban Knights IV was produced by Frayne Lewis with rhythm guitarist Norman Brown and saxophonist Steve Cole appearing as guest artists.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
Matt Collar of AllMusic favourably wrote "Due largely to the inclusion of trumpeter Ron Haynes — a one-time Donald Byrd protégé — the fourth entry by Ramsey Lewis' smooth jazz supergroup is reminiscent of Byrd's seminal 1970s recordings. While merely hinting at Byrd's proto-disco inventions, Urban Knights IV is nonetheless a modern update of the trumpeter's work with the Blackbyrds. Although this album is nowhere near as funky as, say, Electric Byrd, it does come off grittier than many albums by Urban Knights' contemporaries."
Tracklisting
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Message feat: Ron Haynes" | Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph, Sharay Reed | 05:03 |
| 2. | "Moving Pictures" | Frayne Lewis, Ramsey Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 04:03 |
| 3. | "Slick feat. Norman Brown" | Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 04:53 |
| 4. | "Alright feat. Opal" | Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph, Bryan Sledge | 04:40 |
| 5. | "Latin Flavor feat. Ron Haynes" | Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph, Lambert Waldrip | 05:05 |
| 6. | "Pretty" | Frayne Lewis, Ramsey Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 05:18 |
| 7. | "Sign Your Name feat. Steve Cole" | Terence Trent D'Arby | 04:16 |
| 8. | "Thinking About Your Love" | Kevin Randolph, Bryan Sledge | 04:36 |
| 9. | "The One" | Kevin Randolph, Lambert Waldrip | 03:55 |
| 10. | "Hi-Heel Sneakers" | 04:25 | |
| 11. | "Clubland" | Ron Haynes, Vince Lawrence, Frayne Lewis, Ramsey Lewis, Kevin Randolph | 05:03 |
| 12. | "Thinking About Your Love" | Kevin Randolph, Bryan Sledge | 04:26 |
References
- ^ Urban Knights: Urban Knights IV. Narada Records. 2001.
- "Urban Knights: Urban Knights Chart History (Top Contemporary Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019.
- "Urban Knights Chart History (Contemporary Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019.
- ^ Collar, Matt. "Urban Knights - Urban Knights IV". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2025.