One of smooth jazz's funkiest and most popular artists, Brian Culbertson has engaged the genre's audiences for years with a perfect mix of lively funk, jazzy piano and keyboard energy, and a softer intimate side that earned him one critic's designation as "the Barry White of smooth jazz." Faced with trying to find new ways to skin the cat of holiday songs that have been done a million times, Culby exceeds all expectations, bringing every side of his charismatic magic touch to standards you won't mind hearing just one more time.

Though young jazzer Brian Culbertson's boyish good looks make it tempting to lump him in with Harry Connick, Jr.-like neophytes Michael Buble and Peter Cincotti, this Illinois native is actually an instrumentalist who's been plying his trade since putting out the self-released debut LONG NIGHT OUT. COME ON UP is Culbertson's seventh album, and for this outing, he goes for a funkier sound that harkens back to a childhood spent cutting his teeth on the sounds of early Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Tower of Power. Weaving an R&B-flavored thread throughout these dozen songs, Culbertson cuts loose with a few special guests including saxophonist Steve Cole, (the brassy "Say What?"), trumpeter Rick Braun (a sultry "Last Night"), guitarist Norman Brown (the crackling "Come On Up"), and R&B vocalist Rahsaan Patterson (the soulful "Fly High"). The centerpiece of this album turns out to be a sinewy instrumental reading of the Earth, Wind & Fire nugget "Serpentine Fire."

The music of light jazz superstar Brian Culbertson is more likely to be associated with candlelit dinners and walks on the beach than shaking one's tailfeather on the dance floor, but BRINGING BACK THE FUNK aims to change all that. With help from a veritable who's who of funk luminaries, including Maceo Parker, Bootsy Collins, Fred Wesley, Bernie Worrell, and Sharon Jones, among others, the trombonist/keyboardist/composer lays down some serious grooves on tracks like "Funkin' Like My Father," "Hollywood Swinging," and "You Got to Funkatize." There is enough of a smooth sheen here to satisfy Culbertson's old fans, but enough funk punch to keep things bouncing.

The keyboardist/trombonist has recorded more than his share of forgettable background music in the studio, but on-stage, Culbertson is a lot more loose and spontaneous. And his better instincts often prevail on Live from the Inside. This 2009 recording didn't actually take place in a nightclub or amphitheater, but rather, at Capitol Records' Studio A in Los Angeles. Culbertson favors a live-in-the-studio approach, and most of his performances have the sort of spontaneity he would bring to a club or amphitheater gig. Instead of burying his chops under layers and layers of needless production, he frequently lets them flow and allows his edgier side to come out. That said, no one will mistake Live from the Inside for hard bop; R&B and pop considerations are a big part of the equation on "Always Remember," "So Good," and other groove-oriented tunes. This is commercial music, without a doubt. But it's commercial music that, for the most part, has some guts. A few of the lighter tracks are a little too syrupy for their own good. But all things considered, Live from the Inside is one of the more substantial releases in Culbertson's catalog.

Given the widespread critical acclaim and commercial success Brian Culbertson garnered from 2008's retro Bringing Back the Funk, it would be understandably tempting for him, or any musician, to revisit it wholesale. However, Culbertson throws a changeup on XII and comes up with a set of collaborative originals with stellar guests that relies more on modern adult R&B than funk, and more on sophisticated pop than it does on contemporary jazz. He's got real star power on this set; it's a groover that includes everything from club to go-go funk, up- and midtempo R&B, and polished bedroom ballads, and it all holds together seamlessly.

On "Dreams", Brian Culbertson attempts to dig further into the vein he opened on 2010's XII, where he seamlessly married adult-oriented R&B to contemporary jazz. In fact, Dreams feels like a bookend of sorts. He employs an alternating cast of studio aces who include Alex Al, John "Jubu" Smith, Eric Marienthal, Michael Stever, Ray Parker, Jr., Rex Rideout, and Rob "Fonksta" Bacon, as well as a trio of vocalists: Stokley Williams (Mint Condition), Vivian Green, and Noel Gourdin.