Oli Silk

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This twenty-something British composer/keyboardist who made his initial splash in the U.K. in the early 2000s as part of the duo Sugar & Silk, may have been a new face on the U.S. smooth jazz scene in 2006. The British retro-funky keyboardist’s 2006 debut So Many Ways made favorable comparisons to the “Jeff Lorber school of soulful keyboarding.” His engaging follow-up, The Limit’s the Sky, not only continues to expand in that always compelling vein, but actually has a classic styled Lorber tune, the bright, bubbling and edgy, piano and Rhodes driven “Seventh Heaven” in the mix. Lorbers’ trademark mix of moody old-schooling and simmering grooves passes its torch to Silk’s new generation throughout, but ultimately, it’s Silk’s mix of elegant and cheerful melodies that are leading to his stake at smooth jazz stardom. The popular radio single “Chill or Be Chilled” backs his sensual piano melody with a light beat, some cool atmospheric effects, colorful sax shadings by Gary Honor and a crisp electric guitar solo by song co-writer Matt Park.

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