On an album dedicated to "Kansas City's eclectic 39th Street area," Rocco Priolo, who grew up in the vicinity, paints instrumental portraits of such localized events as "Breakfast at Nichol's" and "Gillham Park Sunrise." Mixing warm synthesized backdrops with live instrumentation and an occasional sampled voice, Priolo sets the mood for such scenes, and, because his experience in the neighborhood has been positive, most of the tunes are extremely upbeat. Exceptions to the standard pace, on opposite ends of the spectrum, are "Highpocket" -- a slower, bluesier tune with moaning horns -- and "The Way She Walked," which is mildly funky and irrepressibly peppy. Although these Images are pleasant, they're also somewhat blurry, as only "The Walk Home From Gooch's" provides a musical storyline that's immediately easy to follow. (Judging by the scattershot percussion and yapping-dog sound effects on this track, this was quite an eventful stroll.) Still, after several listens, the connection between the song titles and the compositions begins to take shape, and smooth jazz fans, especially those who love horn solos, will definitely give this disc the necessary amount of spins.
