Since this keyboardist left his high profile gig with the Rippingtons in the mid 90s, he’s paid some bills doing parts and arrangements for superstar producer David Foster, and Portmann’s own instincts as studio ringleader make No Truer Words a busy, diverse affair. One gets the sense that Portmann’s truest heart lies in finely orchestrated romantic pieces like “Destinations” and “Canyons,” but he has a blast jacking up the urban swing on the party jam “Slink” and overseeing a handful of solid soul vocals.
Portmann’s finely honed jazz heart beats at the core of even the most heavily produced pop track. And his roots are never far behind either – former Rippmates Tony Morales, Steve Reid and Jeff Kashiwa show up to help their old pal explore his wide ranging but never scattered artistry. (Source: Jonathan Widran| AllMusic.com)
Zebra Records, the brainchild of label owner Ricky Schultz, brought a new label re-launch campaign to the attention of Eric Scott was at the time working full-time as art director. The creative brief included updating the label’s brand and designing a unifying look for all the releases with an emphasis upon fine art imagery, for this and its subsidiary label, Zebra Acoustic.
(© 1996 | Zebra Records ZD 44001)