Even his most staunch defenders may well concede that, post- Winelight, the revered Philadelphia saxophonist has been in something of a creative decline. Smoothness finally did for him. This 5CD boxset shows that the truth is not so simple. Albums such as Strawberry Moon, Next Exit and Time Out Of Mind definitely present what is fair to describe as a neutral mode where the emphasis is on material that lacks the rhythmic drive and hard-edged funk of his generally revered 1970s tenure at Kudu and Motown. His late 1980s swansongs are often glossy affairs and some of the more saccharine keyboard textures and clunky programming have not aged well. However, they still have several brilliant collaborations with vocalists such as the legendary Phyllis Hyman and Jean Carne, and the unheralded Spencer Harrison. The tracks on which they guest, ‘Sacred Kind Of Love’, ‘Keep In Touch’ and ‘Monte Carlo Nights’ are hugely soulful affairs that share common ground with Anita Baker's Rapture (songwriter Gary Taylor worked on both). Grover blows gloriously throughout, with his fine articulation and powerful tone on soprano an absolute joy. Any haters should be further silenced by a really leftfield manoeuvre – Grover ‘in the tradition’. Then And Now finds him in the company of Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Grady Tate, and he sounds absolutely majestic playing standards. He pulled off the same feat on All My Tomorrows, where he is backed by other veteran acoustic warriors like pianist Hank Jones, with a tastefully arranged horn section. The final pair of albums, Next Exit and Soulful Strut, are patchy, with Washington's still appealing solos compromised by soporific, overly slick production that has an eye trained squarely on the prize of drive-time radio play One would have hoped that such a talented musician would have signed off a glorious career in far better fashion but, as this collection proves, the last period of his life was not entirely fallow. But, rather than a box set, a well curated ‘Best Of would be more suitable.