Vocalist and drummer Len Bryant, the brother of jazz pianist Ray Bryant, evidently makes a belated recording debut as a leader in a jazz setting with It's Now Midnight (Waiting for Your Love). Bryant's vocals are friendly and expressive, though his sound is usually more in a pop than jazz vein, while he sticks to timekeeping as a drummer. He is at his best when utilizing his lower range, as he does in "Lush Life," bringing Johnny Hartman's famous recording with John Coltrane to mind, along with a warm "When I Fall in Love." But there are a few misfires. The funky instrumental setting of "All Blues" is overly bland and the title track is a rather bland Latin affair with the drums far too prominent in the mix, while Lionel Richie's sterile pop ballad "Hello" simply doesn't get off the ground. His supporting band includes pianist/arranger Bill O'Connell (though his synthesizer, present on several songs, isn't listed in the credits), bassist Charles Fambrough, tenor saxophonist Ralph Bowen, and percussionist Omar Hill.
© Ken Dryden /TiVo