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"Here's your perfect
road trip companion. It has that inspirational driving force - a
smoothness that's meant to be savored - and it's downright irresistible.
Toronto's Jamie
Bonk knows a thing or two about that invisible flow of energy that
keeps us all going and
that in the wrong hands can easily be a soundtrack for screaming
nerves. I was once
held hostage listening to the Village People for days on a long
road trip touring Northern
New Brunswick. So take it from me that up-tempo doesn't always mean
inspirational.
Bonk has create an ideal combination of guitar music that's up and
yet comforting.
A Perfect Tomorrow opens with the vibrant, happy "Tofino",
bringing to mind a quote from the late Grover Washington Jr.: "Feel good music just doesn't get
you from A to B. It
helps you connect with what's in between the destinations and that
makes me smile."
With his effortless guitar work, it's as if Bonk is casually explaining
the importance of
getting our work done but not getting so nerved up about it. Much
like Jesse Cook or
Ottmar Liebert, this is genre-bending music that's a little flamenco
with a New Age feel
but fits on any Smooth Jazz format. The Mid-tempo hook-laden "Rain"
reminded me of
another great nylon string guitarist, Chet Atkins, with its ability
to hook you within a few
seconds, again proving that a good instrumental can have the same
effect as a top 40 hit.
"Pretty Girl" has this TV theme groove that's bright and alive and
the eastern flavored
"Haze" sense of mystery gives the album a different mix.
Bonk's self-titled, 1997 debut was a huge hit on New Age lists.
Charting for 18 consecutive months, it earned him New Age Voice (NAV) Magazine's Radio Album
of the Year for 1999. As good as that album was, this one's a step above and will likely
garner huge airplay in one of the fastest growing formats in North America - Smooth Jazz.
On A Perfect Tomorrow, Bonk has achieved what guitar
stars like Marc Antoine and
Russ Freeman have been doing for the last few years - making middle
of the road
instrumentals sound catchy, smooth, and hip." - John Beaudin - Shared
Vision
- June 2001.
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