Beyond the Reef represents the creative zenith of
Earl Grant's Decca tenure, adding pastel-hued washes of Tiki-bar exotica to his atmospheric cocktail jazz in an effortless evocation of the sun, sand, and surf that define tropical paradise.
Grant's touch remains lighter than a summer breeze, but the late-night atmospheres of his piano and organ solos belie an underlying groove that lends the music a genuine soulfulness rare in the easy listening genre. Indeed,
Beyond the Reef is as easy as listening gets. Moody but never moribund, its subdued splendor is the essence of hip.