Tales
Studio album by
Marcus Miller
ReleasedMay 1995
GenreJazz fusion[1]
Length63:08
LabelPRA[2]
Dreyfus[3]
ProducerMarcus Miller
Marcus Miller chronology
The Sun Don't Lie
(1993) 		Tales
(1995) 		Live & More
(1998)

Tales is an album by the American musician Marcus Miller, released in 1995.[4][5] He supported it with a North American tour.[6]

The album peaked at No. 7 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.[7] It was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best Contemporary Jazz Performance" category.[8]

Production

The album was produced by Miller.[9] It samples the voices of several Black American musicians.[10] "Eric" is dedicated to the guitarist Eric Gale.[11] Miller wrote or cowrote nine of the album's songs; the title track was written with Allen Toussaint.[12][13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD[3]

The Independent wrote that the album "lashes its constituent parts together with stupendous playing and rigorous adherence to the principle that music is about spinning yarns, not showing off."[4] The Guardian determined that most of Miller's music "occupies a safe centre ground of funk basslines, loose-limbed drumming from Poogie Bell, and layers of beatific keyboard harmonies."[15]

The Rocky Mountain News opined that Meshell Ndegeocello "spellbinds with 'Rush Over', a ballad wrought from spoken word and singing."[11] The Oregonian praised Miller's "knack for welding groove to harmonic structure and balancing upscale polish with urban grit."[16] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution deemed Miller "a fusionaire whose slickness is cued to the marketplace, but he also knows how to round up a band."[17]

AllMusic wrote that some songs "ramble on a bit and one wishes that Marcus Miller would drop the funk now and then for variety's sake, but in general his set holds one's interest."[14]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Marcus Miller except where noted.

  1. "The Blues" – 5:35
  2. "Tales (Intro)" (Miller, Allen Toussaint) – 0:12
  3. "Tales" (Miller, Allen Toussaint) – 5:42
  4. "Eric" – 6:16
  5. "True Geminis" – 5:36
  6. "Rush Over" – 4:57
  7. "Running Through My Dreams (Interlude)" – 1:27
  8. "Ethiopia" – 5:15
  9. "Strange Fruit (Intro)" (Abel Meeropol) – 1:46
  10. "Strange Fruit" (Abel Meeropol) – 2:02
  11. "Visions" (Stevie Wonder) – 5:37
  12. "Tales (Reprise)" – 2:34
  13. "Forevermore (Intro)" – 0:32
  14. "Forevermore" – 4:59
  15. "Infatuation" – 5:08
  16. "Come Together" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 5:30

Personnel

Production

References

  1. ^ Seymour, Gene (February 1996). "Finding excitement in jazz fusion". Emerge. 7 (4): 102.
  2. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. V (3rd ed.). MUZE. p. 3677.
  3. ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. Penguin Books Ltd. 1996. p. 903.
  4. ^ a b Coleman, Nick (April 14, 1995). "A little bit of slap and tickle". Music. The Independent. p. 24.
  5. ^ "Marcus Miller: The master's voice". Bass Player. 10 (1): 42. January 1999.
  6. ^ Dean, Mensah (October 12, 1995). "Bassist Marcus Miller blends jazz, R&B and hip-hop...". The Washington Times. p. M2.
  7. ^ "Marcus Miller". Billboard.
  8. ^ "Marcus Miller". Recording Academy. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  9. ^ "Tales by Marcus Miller". Billboard. 107 (21): 58. May 27, 1995.
  10. ^ Shuster, Fred (May 12, 1995). "Strange conversations". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L20.
  11. ^ a b Rassenfoss, Joe (June 2, 1995). "MARCUS MILLER TELLS SOME GOOD 'TALES'". Rocky Mountain News. p. 24D.
  12. ^ Young, Bob (October 8, 1995). "Miller brings it all together to tell 'Tales' at Scullers". Arts & Lifestyle. Boston Herald. p. 65.
  13. ^ "'Tales' Marcus Miller". Agenda. The Sunday Age. July 23, 1995. p. 7.
  14. ^ a b "Marcus Miller - Tales Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic.
  15. ^ Sweeting, Adam (April 21, 1995). "MARCUS MILLER Tales". The Guardian. p. T12.
  16. ^ Hughley, Marty (July 21, 1995). "In heavy rotation on the home stereo". Arts and Entertainment. The Oregonian. p. 6.
  17. ^ Dollar, Steve (October 13, 1995). "Marcus Miller". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. P4.
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