Candy Dulfer Albums (10)
What The Critics Say
Candy Dulfer's identity as a contemporary jazz musician has not wavered since she entered the professional music arena. A sex kitten on the outside and a very talented alto saxophonist whose sound is directly derived from David Sanborn 30 years past tense, the image-driven Dulfer continues on her path toward making music that is consistent, and at the very least competent. Funked Up! does not stray at all from the more R&B-infused sound she employs, and there are distinct futuristic Euro-dance elements like robotic voices, space soul, and drum machines that up the ante. Dulfer employs a big-band sound with handclaps during "First in Line," while a much hipper chart for the horns crops up on the authentic R&B-flavored "Be Cool." The introductory lyric line of "My Funk" (emphasizing "it's not your funk") talks self-indulgently about creatin' when it's really all about producin'. The remainder of the music ranges from upbeat Euro-disco to Latin dance on "Step Up," the deliberate mechanical rhythms of "Don't Go," the retro party tune "Finger Poppin'," and the spaced-out rave-up "Roppongi Panic." The slow funk of "Bliss 2 This" features an intimate vocal late-night foreplay sex tape, while the straight funk-pop tune "CD 101.9" samples a radio DJ from the station calling Dulfer dynamic on-air. The band does stretch a bit on the slowed lovers reggae "True & Tender" and the deeper bass and rhythm-infused "Still I Love You." ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
'Live at Montreux, 2002'
Release Date 9/20/2005
Tracks 12
Label Eagle
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What The Critics Say
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, All Music Guide
'Girls Night Out'
Release Date 5/8/2001
Tracks 13
Label BMG International
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What The Critics Say
No doubt some very talented fashion and makeup artists got paid a bundle to entice your eyes with seductive, softly lit visions of the gorgeous blond Dutch sax star. The good news is, even without the hard to resist packaging, Dulfer once again hits the mark with one of those funky smooth jazz discs that could keep the dullest party humming. This is the second disc in a row -- following 1997's similarly enticing For the Love of You -- marketed around an update of an old soul classic (this time, Junior Walker's 1969 hit), and it makes great commercial sense to pair Dulfer's snazzy riffs with labelmate Jonathan Butler's kindly vocals. Such an obvious airplay hit, however, detracts from the real joys of the collection, which include bold, brassy covers of two from Sonny Rollins' catalog. Dulfer plays "No Problem" pretty straightforwardly, but she and producer, partner, and all around groovemeister Ulco Bed twist "Island Lady" into a Bob Marley-inspired fantasy camp. The version also features a tenor solo by Dulfer's dad, Hans, and a trumpet romp by Arturo Sandoval. Another unmistakable Dulfer trademark employed here is horn doubling and tripling. On "Fred's Joint," she plays multiple tracks of her alto over Fred Wesley's bouncy trombone; on the Prince-like "2025," she offsets the corny quasi-millennium rap and frothy disco groove with bursts of textured horn energy. Sanborn fans might complain that Dulfer has never gotten too far away from imitating her greatest influence. She's never quite achieved her own innovative sound, but the contexts and production choices make her the primo smooth jazz party girl. ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Dressed in a white jumpsuit, legs crossed, sandy blond hair perfectly coiffed, and sitting in a comfy tan chair with her trusty alto sax, Candy Dulfer looks perfectly angelic on the cover of her third album, For the Love of You. Some of the goofy shots on the inside sleeve cast her in the more mischievous light of her almost lookalike Jenny McCarthy, but the overall packaging -- and that dazzling smile -- caresses the eyes with femininity. But her deeper musical dimensions are decidedly masculine. Once she starts to blow, Dulfer is as aggressive, gritty, and boisterous as her primary alto inspirations, David Sanborn and Maceo Parker. She also invokes the groove intensive rock-soul flavors of Prince, who enlisted Dulfer to play on numerous projects in the early '90s (when he was still Prince) after she played on the road with Pink Floyd -- hardly a pastel-and-angora kind of pedigree. Anyone who dug Saxuality and its buoyant 1993 follow-up, Sax-A-Go-Go, knows Dulfer enters the party ready to cut loose, and won't be disappointed by the buoyant goings-on here. From the frisky jam "Saxy Mood" (on which Dulfer treats her horn as a percussive instrument) to the hypnotic, heavily looped invitation to "Gititon," For the Love of You is a big-hearted, festive affair, complete with vocal effects that simulate background conversations. "Sunday Cool" is especially rambunctious, forsaking its title notion for a 100-mph drive through a maze of Booker T.-like Hammond B-3 effects and tape loops. ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
