{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{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.<ref>{{cite book|title=Urban Knights: Urban Knights II|date=1997|publisher=GRP Records}}</ref><ref name=BB>{{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}}</ref><ref name=UK>{{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}}</ref>
==Critical reception== {{Music ratings |rev1 = AllMusic |rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name=allmusic>{{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}}</ref> |rev2 = Los Angeles Times |rev2Score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref name=LosAngelesTimes>{{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}}</ref> |rev3 = Jazz Times |rev3Score = (favourable)<ref name=JazzTimes>{{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}}</ref> |rev4 = Sun Herald |rev4Score = (favourable)<ref name=SunHerald>{{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}}</ref> }}<!-- Automatically generated by DASHBot-->
Jazz Times stated "With moods playful to passionate and players in a relaxed goodtime frame of mind, it’s a perfect party disc."<ref name=JazzTimes /> 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."<ref name=SunHerald /> 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."<ref name=LosAngelesTimes /> Jonathan Widran of Allmusic called the album a "Maurice White-produced exercise in easy funk and potent, machine generated urban grooves."<ref name=allmusic />
==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<br/>position |- ! scope= "row" | US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)<ref name=BBD>{{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}}</ref> | 7 |- ! scope= "row" | US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)<ref name=BB /> | 5 |- ! scope= "row" | US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) | 48 |- ! scope= "row" | UK Jazz Albums (Official Charts Company)<ref name=UK /> | 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 * Maggie Brown – female vocal on “Come Dance with Me”
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Ramsey Lewis}} {{Authority control}}
Category:1997 albums Category:Albums produced by Maurice White Category:Urban Knights albums Category:GRP Records albums