This 5-CD box set from Rhino brings together the first five studio albums of Al Jarreau’s extensive career. The fact that he’s possibly the only vocalist to have garnered Grammy awards in three different categories – jazz, pop and R&B – illustrates that Jarreau is the quintessential crossover artist. For some, he’s the finest jazz singer of his generation, for others he’s the finest jazz singer manqué of his generation. Featuring string and horn arrangements by Dave Grusin, and brilliantly engineered by the legendary Al Schmitt, Jarreau’s debut album We Got By showcases a flawless voice with an exceptional range, and a vocalist capable of doing pretty much anything he turns his hand to, from the funky ‘Raggedy Ann’ to the slightly stagey ‘Aladdin’s Lamp’. And, almost a decade before Bobby McFerrin’s game-changing The Voice, it’s fascinating to hear Jarreau’s use of vocal percussion in his introduction to ‘You Don’t See Me’. Similarly with Glow, its covers of ‘Your Song’ and ‘Fire And Rain’ notwithstanding, there are flashes of what Jarreau could achieve in a more improvisatory framework, notably a luminescent ‘Aqua De Beber’ and the thrilling solo vehicle ‘Hold On Me’ in which he overdubs harmony vocals and multiple percussive effects. Despite a fine cover of ‘Spain’ (the singer’s pinpoint rhythmic control is jaw-dropping), This Time is a noticeably more R&B, pop-inspired set. One of Jarreau’s most successful albums, for which he won two of his seven Grammy awards (best male pop vocal and best male jazz vocal performance), Breakin’ Away includes the hit ‘We’re In This Love Together’. Even within what’s a much more synthesised sound-world, Jarreau can still surprise you – the scat solo in ‘Blue Rondo A La Turk’ (for which he won the jazz Grammy) is as fluid and beautifully constructed an improvisation as you could wish for.