John “Jubu” Smith (Whitney Houston, Tony! Toni! Tone’!, Raphael Saadiq) has joined with seven-string renegade Charlie Hunter for an instrumental album doing what he does best – playing ultra-clean, hip, defiantly soulful modern R&B guitar.

Produced by Hunter, Jubu features 10 tasty instrumental tracks that harken to the soul-guitar stylings of Cornell Dupree, David Williams, black gospel, and the new wave of ’90s smooth R&B.

Jubu kicks it off with the toe-tapping “Hamster Wheel,” featuring drummer Calvin Napper and Hunter on hybrid guitar. By the time “Carroll Drive” hits, one realizes this is not a typical instrumental-guitar album, but a compendium of funk, soul, and R&B with double-stop slides, chordal embellishments, signature whammy usage, and luscious volume swells. It’s an ode to the clever backing guitarist that draws from the past and renews the present. His refined touch on “Jubu’s Poem” is magic one can never glean from a book.
Eric Gales appears on “EG Is Here,” a pristine, deep funk reimagining of “The Thrill Is Gone.” The melodic interplay is flawless as Jubu and Gales weave Curtis Mayfield, jazz, intelligence, and virtuoso personalities. His gospel-tinged solo piece, “At Long Last,” is absolutely sublime.

This article originally appeared in VG’s October 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.