Candy Dulfer Releases New Album
Candy Store Shows That Saxophonist Is Not Just Another Pretty Face
Oct 13, 2008
Any review of a Candy Dulfer CD requires a disclaimer: Yes, she is attractive. Some would go as far as to call her beautiful -- sexy, even. She is also a talented sax player who has developed a loyal following over the course of a dozen albums – occasionally by using her looks and her sex to her advantage and more often by performing and recording with an impressive array of artists, including (but not limited to) David Sanborn, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Van Morrison, Prince, Pink Floyd, Jamie Cullum, and David Stewart of the Eurythmics.
Having said that, her newest release, Candy Store, permits -- and requires -- listeners to get past the pretty face and enjoy some of the best contemporary jazz music in the smooth jazz genre. Unfortunately, those superlative moments are few and far between on the disc, giving it an uneven feel.
Candy Store features two excellent tracks. "L.A. City Lights" has already become a smooth jazz station hit without losing the feel of a more adventurous musical style. "Candy" is a lively funk tune that allows Dulfer to combine her modern sound with the influence of jazz/funk veteran Maceo Parker, with whom she has collaborated and toured.
Yet each of the aforementioned tracks pales in comparison to "Music=Love ," the disc's magnum opus and a track whose rhythm and blues influences create a groove so infectious that listeners likely will overlook the song's mediocre lyrics.
(Dulfer can play with the best of them, but a review of her body of work would quickly reveal that her songwriting skills leave so much to be desired that one might wonder whether the words do anything more than get in the way on most of her vocal tracks.)
Unfortunately, not every composition allows Dulfer to show her strengths. The Latin influence on "La Cabana" holds potential but somehow falls short of her past work on similar songs. Likewise, "Summertime" (a prime example of Dulfer's lyrical limitations) has its moments but represents nothing that her fanse have not heard her do before -- and better.
Professor Arrington's Grade
The uneven feel of the disc might frustrate listeners, especially those who are unfamiliar with Dulfer's prior work. In such cases, her Sax-A-Go-Go CD, an exemplar of pop/funk/jazz fusion from the nineties, would more accurately represent Dulfer's artistic potential. Candy Store's high points make the lower points worth a try, but anything more than a B-minus would constitute grade inflation.
