Rit's House

Released in 2002 on the GRP label, Rit's House represents a high-water mark in Lee Ritenour's later career, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Produced by Ritenour himself and engineered by the legendary Don Murray, the album is a masterclass in high-fidelity studio recording. It serves as a bridge between his early fusion roots and the more contemporary smooth jazz sound he helped pioneer. Notably, the album features a mix of original compositions and high-profile covers, including a jazz-inflected version of The Police's 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic'. The inclusion of vocal tracks like '13' adds a narrative, almost confessional dimension rarely seen in his instrumental-heavy catalog. Critics, including those at AllMusic, have noted the album's 'substantial' nature, praising it for having more grit and compositional depth than the standard smooth jazz fare of the early 2000s. It remains a definitive example of the 'West Coast' sound - meticulous, sunny, and technically flawless.