Customer Reviews

Saxuality

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The words above are uttered at the beginning of the title track, to which we hear Candy reply "Think about it!" - the answer is an obvious an very emphatic yes.

I bought this album in 1991 after hearing my roomate's copy. I've never regretted this purchase and after countless listenings I still treasure it today. The style of the songs on this album is absolutely great and I've never really heard anything in the same vein except perhaps on some selected tracks on Candy's later albums.

The album starts off with Lily Was Here, a duet between Candy and Dave Stuart on Guitar - its very serene with a great peak on the sax. Even if you don't recognize this song by name, chances are you've probably heard it before and would recognize it instantly.

The remaining tracks I would catagorize into three groups - funky/modern (So What, Heavenly City, There Goes The Neighborhood), New Wave'ish (Pee Wee, Jazzid) and more traditional sax based jazz (Mr. Lee, Home Is Not a House).

Mr. Lee and Home is Not a House are both really well done, with the latter featuring an incredible bit of dueling alto and tenor sax between Candy on alto and her father Hans on tenor, and the former featuring grade "A" solo work against a traditional jazz background.

There Goes the Neighborhood is another great track - also a 'dueling instruments' type track, this time its Candy's alto sax vs. a very well played electric guitar that almost, but not quite, overshadows the sax.

One consistent knock I've heard against Candy is that she's all looks but not really that great of a player - and I'm sure the clever title of this album did little to reduce that impression. Well, she definetly does look good - but - while I'm no expert on rating sax players on their technical merits, to my ear she does an excellent job on this album and the songs are unique and really enjoyable.

The music, much more so than Ms. Dulfer's looks, truely exudes "Saxuality".

I was absolutely flabbergasted when I first heard "Lily Was Here". It's one of those songs that can soothe your soul and energize your body at the same time. I kept listening to that song over and over, each time finding a new level of sound I'd never noticed before.

So I bought this CD on the strength of that track alone, and I wasn't disappointed. Ms. Dulfer took me into a continuing adventure into what her saxophone could do. Hearing her layer that sax over the percussion-driven "Jazzid" always gives me a thrill, and she showed off her brass cojones by completely reworking Miles Davis's cool-jazz instrumental anthem "So What" into an ambitious piece of fusion revisionism. Gotta respect her for that little experiment, even though she doesn't really hope to approach Miles.

Her singing voice is not nearly as good as her instrumental skills. I still can't stand her shrieking on the title track and "Heavenly City", but I've learned to live with it and enjoy the music in spite of that. It's a small price to pay to listen to some of the neatest jazz of the 90's.

This CD was my very first introduction to jazz, and it got me suckered into buying up Miles, Bill Evans, Louis Armstrong... it's very accessible to music lovers who have little previous exposure to jazz. Although this is a highly uneven album, the high points are so high that I feel justified in giving this a five-star rating.

Candy sure can play her butt off when she wants and she wanted to several times on this album. Those tunes are a joy to listen to and get 5 stars.
On the down side, there are the vocal songs which just didn't make it for me and forced me to detract a star from the rating.
Since I bought this used for a couple of bucks, I consider it money well spent but whether this CD will make it over to my "frequently played" stack is conjectural.

Great debut CD from Dutch Candy Dulfer. Poppy beats, which were the rage in the early Nineties, encompasses this CD throughout. Very impressive production from Ulco Bed as well as Dulfer. Most of CD is a blend of Synth-Pop and Sax intertwined. Not necessarity a "Jazz" CD, but a unique mix.

Good CD from Candy Dulfer. This one is a Buy!

I first saw and heard Candy Dulfer on the "Tonight" show and was inspired to buy this album (purchased the audio cassette originally). Since then I've listened to it in the car on long road trips. I like the saxophone as an instrument anyway, and there's something about several of these melodies that really communicates with me. If you aren't familiar with Candy Dulfer's playing, start with this album. You're in for a treat!

Candy's cds get better and better. Her sax playing is so unique that every song is a gem. And now I see she is doing work with other musicians on their albums (like Jonathan Butler). No one will be disappointed by this cd. Her first album was alot funkier but this one is just as good.

This CD is just perfect. I listen to almost everyday. Being my age(12), my family finds it amazing that I listen to Candy Dulfer. So I just have to say, "How can I not like a CD this cool???". I say I would recommend this CD to everyone I know. In fact, I DO recommend it to everybody I know.

A must listen ... Candy Dulfer is a popular Dutch smooth jazz alto saxophonist who is absolutely fantastic ... WOW!

My father-n-law in Berkeley, CA got me hooked on this cd. Listen to it alot. Never get's old. Love lady sax players!!
Pamela in Arkansas

Great CD, would highly recommend for all ages. The sax playing in this is absolutely wonderful!!