Smooth jazz superwoman
Candy Dulfer is the total package -- she's pretty, dresses well, plays a mean sax, and sings a bit. At a time when the Dutch
smooth jazz star's idol and mentor saxophonist,
David Sanborn, released one of the most organic, stripped-down, and funky albums of his career,
Dulfer seems intent on "gussying-up" songs with what somebody must have perceived as "hip"
electronic production. Many
jazz musicians have attempted such
electro-jazz productions in the name of
Miles Davis-styled boundary-pushing, only to end up with weak and boring albums that are neither
avant-garde enough for
jazz fans nor hip enough for
electronic music fans --
Herbie Hancock's
Future 2 Future and
Tim Hagans'
Animation-Imagination come to mind.
Right in My Soul is an
R&B album of
smooth jazz wrapped in pseudo-
electronica beats and loops. Having added singing to her act a few albums back,
Dulfer mainly focuses on
vocal pop tunes, utilizing her saxophone for lite-funky asides. Some of the tracks are pleasant enough, featuring catchy, melodic hooks and passable
improvisation. The production here can be a problem, as it utilizes elements of
electronic music styles such as
jungle,
drum'n'bass, and
hip-hop jazz. ~ Matt Collar
