Aaron Brown – Hidden Beauty (2022)
After his last single spent 12 weeks on the Smooth Jazz Top 100, Aaron Brown is looking to top that accomplishment with the groovy tones of ‘Hidden Beauty’. Chilled, yet undeniably funky, this jazz track brings a sprinkling of blues, neo-soul and soul rock to the sound, to round out a groovy single that is sure to get you hooked. Drawing on his skills honed over years, Brown moulds the sounds of the music into a statue of chilled instrumental perfection.
While Brown is a multi-instrumentalist and takes on everything from the guitars to horn arrangements of the track, he is joined by Steve Gadd (drums) and Dennis Johnson (keys). When he is not releasing his own music, Brown is the leader of the FuBop Collective, a composer, engineer and producer. Over the years, he has been in countless recording sessions, gigs and collaborated with Roy Ayers, Doc Powell, Marcus Miller and Sharon Bryant.
The deep beat that opens ‘Hidden Beauty’ has your foot tapping away before you realise what has happened. This instant hook quickly spreads to the rest of your body as the jazzy flow of the instrumentation takes hold of you. The shimmering movement of the guitar ripples against your skin, leaving a shiver of pure jazz goodness in its wake. There is a fantastic interplay between the drums and the guitar that draws you further under the spell of the track. As you make your way down the soundscape, the guitar circles you like a curl of wind that urges you to follow your path. While each instrument has a chance to shine and add to the overall soundscape, it is the guitar that really holds your attention. As Brown showcases his skills, the sound of the guitar seems to tell a tale that has you closing your eyes and moving your head to the flow of the guitar line.
As you give in to the urge to soak up the power of the guitar, the other instruments should not be discounted. The drums lightly tap against the back of your brain to keep you moving down the soundscape. The keys dance between the guitar notes while adding their own little push to the sound. There is a moment when the guitars drop completely for the horn arrangement to take over, bringing a light touch of acid jazz to the track, before a twirl of blues from the guitar smooths everything back into an infectious sway. Throughout the track, those horns burst with energy in the background while the layers of instrumentation have you riding down the river of perfection that is this single.
With a practically perfect combination of guitars, horns, drums and keys, Aaron Brown has you sinking into the jazzy bluesy vibe of ‘Hidden Beauty’. Each instrument has been masterfully arranged to add to the single as a whole, while getting a chance to shine. With the guitar as the driving force, Brown unleashes his skills while highlighting the power of the other instruments.
Find out more about Aaron Brown on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
