Bobby Caldwell & Jack Splash
Cool Uncle
(Fresh Young Minds/EMPIRE)

Cool Uncle is ’70s R&B vocalist Bobby Caldwell and Grammy award-winning producer Jack Splash. The self-titled project wraps soul, pop and smooth jazz into a sweet package for listeners who want to groove with two generations of artists, and smile at the same time. Caldwell is known for the 1979 blue-eyed soul single “What You Won’t Do For Love,” while Splash has produced smashes for Cee-Lo Green (“Fool for You,” “I Want You”), Melanie Fiona (“Wrong Side of a Love Song”), and John Legend “P.D.A. (We Just Don’t Care),” among other artists. Relishing in its breezy, laid-back feel on tunes about love, new and old alike, Cool Uncle will have you swaying to the beat. With a handful of cameos intermixed on tracks like lead single “Break Away” with British songstress Jessie Ware and the lovely “Game Over” featuring crooner Mayer Hawthorne, the record embraces its new-retro feel without forcing it. Cool Uncle is that record you can play in the car or in the house, for friends or for a lover. It’s just fun to listen to. Other standout moments include “Never Knew Love Before,” “Destiny” and “My Beloved.”