Boston Herald Review
BY BILL BROTHERTON

08/29/2003

It's hard for a Red Sox fan to praise a member of the Yankees, but Bronx Bomber all-star Bernie Williams' debut is as solid as his swing.

Williams, a classically trained guitarist who wrote seven of the tunes here, plays in a style similar to George Benson and Earl Klugh. He mixes classical, blues and Latin music for a stew that has more meat than the usual smooth jazz guitar set. The upbeat ``La Salsa en Mi'' captures the sounds of his native Puerto Rico. Kansas' hoary chestnut ``Dust in the Wind'' is made fresh, thanks to Williams' tasteful picking and brother Hiram Williams' haunting cello, but a take on Billy Joel's ``And So It Goes'' is less successful.

Williams knows success is a team effort and he's helped by some heavy hitters, including Kenny Aronoff and Shawn Pelton (drums), David Sancious (keyboards), T-Bone Wolk and Leland Sklar (bass), Bela Fleck (banjo) and Ruben Blades and Gilberto Santa Rosa (vocals).

"The Journey Within'' indicates that when Williams' playing days are done, there's a winning musical journey ahead. He handles a guitar almost as well as he swings a bat."

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