Thus the title of Leon Ware's tenth album, A Kiss in the Sand, a seamless blending of the Detroit-native's jazz and soul roots with the ebullient melodies and rhythms of Brazil. 'Sand', a metaphor for the element from which all mankind was made. 'Kiss', a prayerful bestowment of affection on mankind in hopes that we get our act together for the sake of our future generations. In the title track, which he co-penned with Marcos Valle, a Brazilian friend of over 20 years, Ware writes:

"Sweet kiss in the sand / This love in our hands / Goes on and on and on...."

"I'm always considering all the possibilities of what I say," Leon states through laughter that comes easily, heartily and often. "I guess that's what makes me a bit of a writer. In the few more breaths I have on this planet, I am hungry to say some things that will be useful to the world - a world that deserves a lot better than it is giving itself."

The 14-song A Kiss in the Sand, primarily co-produced by Leon Ware with Brazilian guitarist Sandro Albert, is a collection impeccably balanced between serenely sentimental soundscapes such as "Night In Brazil," "Away" and the breathtaking "Warm Inside" (co-written with Adrienne Anderson) with elegantly spiritual statements such as "Hearts Alive", "I Believe In Love" and the meditative "Live In My Love Forever." It is a concept Ware and Albert have dubbed "R & Bossa," also the name of Leon's new band.

Citing two songs as examples, Mr. Ware explains, "'The Light' reflects my belief about what men should be to each other - a light that eventually becomes one. We are not moments in time, but timeless lights. 'Spirits Lovin'' (featuring singers James Ingram and Billy Valentine) is a continuation of 'The Light.' I see the people of the world as spirits - 5 billion strong."

If you assumed that A Kiss in the Sand was all about lovers on the beach, you're not far from the sandy path that leads to Leon's door. Intimacy has ever been a hallmark of Leon Ware's transcendental classics - from Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" and "After the Dance" to Minnie Riperton's "Inside My Love" and "Can You Feel What I'm Saying." It's been the crux on which destinies were determined from Michael Jackson's "I Wanna Be Where You Are" (1971) to Maxwell's "Sumthin' Sumthin'" (1996). So on the new album, when you hear a song like "Easy Mover" (co-penned with Guilherme Verguerio) and think it's about a woman, it is actually the ocean of which he speaks. Listen with your heart, mind and soul open wide. Even at his most fervent, it is as if Leon is whispering into your earlobe...vulnerably yet shamelessly serenading you from your soul to your toes.

For Leon Ware, sensuality is the hook with which he reels you in from a rocky bluff just up yonder. But what he lays on you once he's got you goes deeper than the loins can feel and further than the eyes can see. Remember "Rolling Down A Mountainside" by The Main Ingredient? "Whether you're saints or sinners / Smile and share / Sunlight as well as shadows / While you learn that everyone cares / Everyone out there / Has a cross to bear." It touched Isaac Hayes so deeply that he sang it in the unforgettable concert film, Wattstax (released on DVD this year). And then there's Donny Hathaway singing Leon's "I Know It's You," a spiritual rewritten as a love song to be shopped to soul men by his publishers. It took an intuitive master like Hathaway only one listen to see through the lingerie of the lyric into the gospel at its very core.

This delicious dichotomy has resulted in Leon Ware being ordained "The Sensual Minister." He even has a business card to back it up. "My mother was a Baptist," Ware begins by way of an explanation. "I went to church almost 7 days a week up until I was 10. She played piano and I sang. I went from that to living with Jewish friends, Buddhists and experiencing other cultures. I've come to see that all religions lead to the same door."

"My religion is Sensualism," Leon muses, "and I'm as sincere as any rabbi or priest. I'm proud to be one of the initiaries reminding people to recognize that we, ourselves, are a part of God, yet man still has not learned to respect his differences. Insecurity has been our nemesis, but that will be overcome! Then man will realize his true purpose - men waking up each morning to magnify each other. All obstacles in opposition to the joining of the spirits will have their day."

Arriving at the apex of his message, Ware continues, "Not many men have understood what real power is. Most men that attain power surround themselves with palaces or pyramids, money and gold. Most men want to oppress others, but a true intellect never seeks to be above. It yearns to be within. Power is what the sun does. It gives life and magnifies. True Power is when you make everything around you as powerful as you."

This message rings throughout A Kiss in the Sand. The album had its beginnings twelve years ago as Night in Brazil. It was the passing of Leon's daughter, Laura - following a lengthy bout with cancer - that crystallized its current incarnation. Leon co-wrote "Straight To My Soul" with her and dedicates A Kiss in the Sand to her memory. "My daughter's dying - what I prefer to call her point of arrival - was a lesson," Leon says softly. "Through it, I have not lost, but gained another dimension. I carry for her the same love as if she was physically here...ever growing. I'm learning to respect death as a transition - as a growing place. We must cherish every second."

Leon Ware's legacy is already sealed. Hits such as "If I Ever Lose This Heaven" and "I Wanna Be Where You Are" have been covered within the last two years by veteran Will Downing and newcomer Lisa Deveaux, respectively. "The Door," a contemporary Ware collaboration with blues man Keb Mo, was nominated for a Grammy. His songs have been sung "all around the world" in languages ranging from Portugese to Japanese. His music has been sampled by young artists ranging from The Artist (Prince), Aaliyah and Brandy to A Tribe Called Quest, 2Pac and 50 Cent's G-Unit. 2004 also found Ware in the studio coaxing the muse with Raphael Saadiq. And he's already at work diligently chiseling his next R&B masterpiece. "I'm always doing something," Ware assures. "I'm either in the studio or on my way to it!"

With the release of A Kiss in The Sand, Leon Ware will now aggressively pursue a dream that has been tugging at his soul all his life - that of becoming an international touring performer. He has already graced the stages of the North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival and Vienna Jazz Festival, as well as London's intimate Jazz Café. The Dutch Public Broadcasting company videotaped his career retrospective at the swank Paradiso venue in Amsterdam for the television special, ParadisoLife. Now he plans to take his musical massage everywhere he can and give the people a more literal, soulful kiss they can really feel - up close and personal.

"I've been more of a behind the scenes individual," Ware admits, "even though I'm in a field that calls for me to be just the opposite. I simply prefer writing and producing. My nature is low profile, but I'm going to appreciate being high profile. It's time…and I'm excited! I have several views that I'm looking forward to sharing and clarifying with my public."