Pushing the Envelope (album)

Pushing the Envelope
Studio album by Gerald Albright
Released	June 15, 2010
Recorded	Unknown
Genre	Jazz, R&B
Label	Heads Up Records
Producer	Gerald Albright
Gerald Albright chronology
Sax for Stax (2008) Pushing the Envelope (2010) 24/7 (2012)
Singles from Pushing the Envelope
"I Found the Klugh" Released: 2010 "Highway 70" Released: 2010

Pushing the Envelope is the twelfth studio album by saxophonist Gerald Albright, released in 2010 on Heads Up Records. ^[1] This album peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and No. 2 on the US Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. ^{[2] [3]}

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]

Alex Henderson of AllMusic stated "despite the presence of a few weak tracks, Pushing the Envelope on the whole isn't a bad album. Anyone who owns a copy of Live at Birdland West knows that Albright is capable of a lot more, but even so, this disc has more going for it than a lot of the smooth jazz-oriented releases of 2010." ^[4]

Accolades

Pushing the Envelope was Grammy nominated in the category of Best Pop Instrumental Album. ^[5]

Track listing

All songs written by Gerald Albright, except where noted.

1. "What Would James Do?" - 5:32 (featuring Fred Wesley)
2. "Get on the Floor" (Michael Jackson, Louis Johnson) - 4:56
3. "Bobo's Groove" - 5:02
4. "Capetown Strut" - 4:52
5. "Close to You" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) - 4:57
6. "I Found the Klugh" - 5:36 (featuring Earl Klugh)
7. "Embrace the Spirit" - 6:01
8. "The Road to Peace [A Prayer for Haiti]" - 5:10 (featuring George Duke)
9. "Highway 70" - 4:53
10. "From the Soul" - 5:40

Personnel

• Gerald Albright – alto saxophone (1–4, 6–10), baritone saxophone (1–4, 6, 7, 9, 10, tenor saxophone (1–4, 6–10), keyboards (1, 4, 6, 7, 8), bass guitar (1, 2, 3, 5–8, 10), drum programming (1), synthesizer programming (2, 3), EWI controller (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9), backing vocals (4), synthesizers (5), soprano saxophone (5, 8), percussion programming (6, 8)
• Tracy Carter – keyboards (1–5, 7–10)
• Luther Hanes – keyboards (6)
• George Duke – acoustic piano (8)
• Rick Watford – guitars (1, 2, 3, 6–10)
• Earl Klugh – acoustic guitar (6)
• Ricky Lawson – drums (2–10)
• Fred Wesley – trombone (1)
• Mark Cargill – string section (2, 5), string arrangements and conductor (2, 5)
• Selina Albright – backing vocals (2, 5)

Production

• Mark Wexler – executive producer
• Gerald Albright – producer, arrangements, recording
• Yuya Morishita – drum recording (2–10)
• Greg Cook – string recording (2, 5)
• Erik Zobler – piano recording (8)
• Don Murray – mixing
• Sangwook "Sunny" Nam – mastering
• Larissa Collins – art direction
• Albert J. Roman – cover design
• Lori Stoll – photography
• Steve Chapman and Chapman Management – management

Studios

• Recorded at Bright Music Studios (Castle Rock, Colorado).
• Drums recorded at Ahhsum Studios (West Covina, California).
• Strings recorded at CCI Media (Torrance, California).
• Piano recorded at LeGonks West (Hollywood, California).
• Mixed at G Studio Digital (Studio City, California).
• Mastered at The Mastering Lab (Ojai, California).

References

1. Gerald Albright (2010). Pushing the Envelope (album). Heads Up Records.
2. "Gerald Albright: Contemporary Jazz Albums". Billboard .
3. "Gerald Albright: Jazz Albums". Billboard .
4. Henderson, Alex. "Gerald Albright - Pushing the Envelope". Allmusic . Retrieved May 29, 2025.
5. "Gerald Albright - Pushing the Envelope". The Recording Academy . Retrieved May 29, 2025.