Urban Knights II
{{Infobox album
| name = Urban Knights II
| type = studio
| artist = Urban Knights
| cover = Urban Knights II.jpg
| released = April 8, 1997
| recorded = 1996
| studio =
| genre = Jazz
| length = 49:50
| label = GRP
| producer = Maurice White
| prev_title = Urban Knights I
| prev_year = 1995
| next_title = Urban Knights III
| next_year = 2000
}}
Urban Knights II is the second studio album by the jazz group Urban Knights released in 1997 on GRP Records. The album reached No. 7 on the US Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and No. 24 on the UK Top Jazz Albums chart.{{cite work|title=Urban Knights: Urban Knights II|date=1997|publisher=GRP Records}}{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/urban-knights/chart-history/JCR/song/179480|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109133825/https://www.billboard.com/music/urban-knights/chart-history/JCR/song/179480|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 9, 2019|title=Urban Knights: Urban Knights II (Top Contemporary Jazz Albums)|website=Billboard}}{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/urban-knights-urban-knights-ii/|title=Urban Knights - Urban Knights II|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=December 31, 2024}}
Critical reception
{{Album ratings
|rev1 = AllMusic
|rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/urban-knights-ii-mw0000019552|title=Urban Knights II|last=Widran |first=Johnathan|publisher=Allmusic|website=allmusic.com}}
|rev2 = Los Angeles Times
|rev2Score = {{Rating|3|4}}{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-05-25-ca-62255-story.html|title=Smooth Sale-ing Ahead in the Contemporary Arena|last=Heckman |first=Don|date=May 25, 1997|website=Los Angeles Times}}
|rev3 = Jazz Times
|rev3Score = (favourable){{cite web|url=https://jazztimes.com/archives/urban-knights-urban-knights-ii/|title=Urban Knights: Urban Knights II|date=September 12, 1997|publisher=Jazz Times|website=jazztimes.com}}
|rev4 = Sun Herald
|rev4Score = (favourable){{cite news|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=&sort=YMD_date%3AD&page=8&fld-nav-0=YMD_date&val-nav-0=1995%20-%202005&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=%22Urban%20Knights%22&docref=news/0EB624BD2D789B3A|title=AZIMUTH TAKES ADVANTAGE OF VOCALS|author=Adderton, Don|date=May 16, 1997|publisher=Sun Herald|website=newsbank.com}}
}}
Jazz Times stated "With moods playful to passionate and players in a relaxed goodtime frame of mind, it’s a perfect party disc."
Don Adderton of the Sun Herald wrote "When you surround a master artist with a strong supporting cast, usually great things happen. On this second outing, Ramsey Lewis scores big on Urban Knights II (GRP)." Adderton added "Still the master craftsman, Lewis leads this all-star aggregation rampaging into funk, jazz, rhythm-and-blues and Latin-flavored ballads." Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times found that "The music that results can perhaps best be described as rhythm & jazz--bits and pieces of improvising from Lewis and the horn players juxtaposed against insistent, funk-driven rhythms. South African Butler, especially on the tracks in which he sings (“South African Jam” and “Brazilian Rain,” especially), brings a seductive world-music ambience to the proceedings."
Jonathan Widran of Allmusic called the album a "Maurice White-produced exercise in easy funk and potent, machine generated urban grooves."
Track listing
{{Track listing
| title1 = Scirroco
| writer1 = Bill Meyers, Maurice White
| length1 = 4:03
| title2 = Get Up
| writer2 = Ramsey Lewis, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph
| length2 = 3:47
| title3 = Come Dance with Me
| writer3 = Karen Boyd, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph
| length3 = 4:01
| title4 = South African Jam
| writer4 = Jonathan Butler
| length4 = 4:51
| title5 = Brazilian Rain
| writer5 = Sonny Emory, Morris Pleasure
| length5 = 4:19
| title6 = Interlude #1
| writer6 = Ramsey Lewis
| length6 = 0:35
| title7 = Summer Nights
| writer7 = Bill Meyers, Jimi Randolph, Maurice White
| length7 = 5:32
| title8 = Tell Me Why
| writer8 = Jonathan Butler, Bill Meyers, Kevin Williams
| length8 = 4:19
| title9 = Urban Paradise
| writer9 = Ramsey Lewis, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph
| length9 = 4:23
| title10 = Drama
| writer10 = James Cornwell, Kevin Guillaume
| length10 = 3:47
| title11 = Step by Step
| writer11 = Ramsey Lewis, Frayne Lewis, Kevin Randolph
| length11 = 4:01
| title12 = The Promise
| writer12 = Bill Meyers, Ross Vannelli, Maurice White
| length12 = 4:10
| title13 = Interlude #2
| writer13 = Ramsey Lewis
| length13 = 2:02
| title14 = Dawn
| writer14 = Kevin Randolph
| length14 = 4:38
}}
Charts
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Chart performance for Urban Knights II |
| Chart (1997)
! Peak |
|---|
| scope= "row" | US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard){{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/urban-knights/chart-history/JLS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109133759/https://www.billboard.com/music/urban-knights/chart-history/JLS|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 9, 2019|title=Urban Knights: Jazz Albums|website=Billboard}}
| 7 |
| scope= "row" | US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)
| 5 |
| scope= "row" | US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)
| 48 |
| scope= "row" | UK Jazz Albums (Official Charts Company)
| 24 |
Personnel
- Gerald Albright – soprano saxophone
- Najee – flute, saxophone, soprano saxophone
- Frayne Lewis – keyboards
- Ramsey Lewis – piano, electric piano
- Mike Logan – keyboards
- Bill Meyers – synthesizer, backing vocals, Fender Rhodes
- Jimi Randolph – synthesizer
- Kevin Randolph – keyboards, synthesizer bass
- Jonathan Butler – guitar, vocals, backing vocals
- Sheldon Reynolds – guitar, backing vocals
- Morris Pleasure – bass
- Chuck Webb – bass
- Verdine White – bass
- Sonny Emory – drums
- Tony Carpenter – percussion
- Paulinho Da Costa – percussion
- Karen Boyd – backing vocals
- Carl Carwell – backing vocals
- Theresa Davis – backing vocals
- Valerie Mayo – backing vocals
- Maurice White – backing vocals