After eight albums, the late soprano saxophonist George Howard found a comfortable and solid if slightly predictable niche in the intensifying realm of instrumental R&B. On Love & Understanding, his first original GRP outing (after a re-release of 1985's Dancing in the Sun), he sticks to the basic funk and romance formulas which made him one of the most consistent suppliers of sweet and nasty improvisational soul over the previous half decade. As always, his smooth yet bouncy lines and frequent circular breathing patterns stand out over the even most tried and true material, but he earns some kudos with "Talk to the Drum," an adventurous sax/percussion duet with masters Lenny Castro and Munyungo Jackson.