Creatively, Lee Ritenour has had his ups and downs over the years. Many of the guitarist's commercial pop-jazz efforts have wasted his skills as an improviser; when Ritenour is catering to NAC\u002Fsmooth jazz radio, improvisation is the usually the first thing to go. But when Ritenour does have a chance to stretch out, he can be an appealing improviser. Although quite accessible, Rit's House is among his more memorable and substantial efforts. This 2002 release has a soul-jazz\u002Fpost-bop outlook that often recalls the late '60s and early '70s; for the most part, it is the sort of album that guitaristGrant Greenwould have been comfortable recording during that era. But Ritenour's guitar playing owes a lot more toWes Montgomery, who is obviously his primary influence onGabor Szabo's Mizrab, as well as original tunes like 78th & 3rd (which features organistJoey DeFrancesco) and the dusky Olinda. One of the CD's best tracks has nothing to do with jazz: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic. Featuring formerDoobie BrothersvocalistMichael McDonald, this interesting remake of thePolice's 1981 hit is not only a departure from the rest of the album -- it is also a big departure from the original version. Whilethe Police's version was up-tempo pop\u002Frock, Ritenour andMcDonaldtransform Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic into an adult contemporary\u002Fquiet storm ballad. That track is the CD's only vocal offering; the rest of Rit's House is instrumental. Arguably, 1992'sWes Boundis still Ritenour's best studio album -- certainly from a jazz perspective. But this CD is also respectable, and those who enjoyed hearing the guitarist stretching out on that mostly straightahead disc will also find a lot to enjoy about Rit's House.