Search - Candy Dulfer :: Sax-A-Go-Go

Excellent CD by a real player!

12/11/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first time I heard Candy Dulfer was on a Northwest Airlines music program. The tune was "Lily Was Here." Unfortunately, when I got off the plane, I didn't remember the name of the song, but I did remember her name. So when I went to the record store, I bought the first and only Candy Dulfer CD I found, which happened to be this one. Although the sorority girl image on the cover made me slightly dubious about whether I'd like the contents, I was not diappointed! This album is one of those rarest of items in my collection: a CD that I totally love from beginning to end. And now, several years after that purchase, I have no reason to revise my opinion. There are NO songs on this CD that I want to skip. Her playing, her compositions, and her selections of other artists' music to play are all excellent and the sequence of the tunes flows naturally. Want a quick way to decide whether to buy this CD? Listen to her rendition of the AWB's "Pick Up the Pieces" - Candy Dulfer is a player! She clearly loves the music she plays and she is fathful to the spirit of the music she covers at the same time she that injects her own personality and style into it. This is equally evident in her cover of "I Can't Make you Love Me" and the wonderfully lyrical "Sunday Afternoon." And perhaps best of all, she doesn't take herself too seriously, as anyone who has seen her perform live will attest. She knows her striking appearance is a focus for many, but she makes sure that everyone is very clear: her focus is on the music! Candy Dulfer is a professional in every respect, with a musical maturity that is truly impressive for someone as young as she is. This CD illustrates these atributes beautifully."

Superior Sophomore Effort

Scot Merideth Peirson | 04/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had known about Candy Dulfer since 1989. For those who remember Prince's "Partyman" from the Batman soundtrack, it was her solo that sent that track stupid--stunning performance from...A 19-YEAR OLD. WHITE GIRL. FROM HOLLAND.

Then, when I moved to Oslo in 1990, this stunning sax-and-acoustic guitar track started getting major play, both on the radio and on MTV. For those familiar with her, you know what I'm talking about--"Lily Was Here". Released as a theme song for a movie, the original release of "Saxuality" didn't have "Lily" on it, but it was still an interesting album--it was obvious that the lady had been raised listening to a lot of R-and-B.

It was in 1992 that "Sax-A-Go-Go" got released. And yeah, the cover got me (Interestingly, the stateside version has a...less risque cover). This takes off from the beginning with "2 Funky", and this is probably one of her five best studio performances. It's an introduction to a party jam. The title track has become one of her theme pieces in concert.

But there are three tracks that really stick out on this album--"Jammin", in which Candy teams with the JBs; in particular her tradeoffs in the bridge with Maceo Parker (Think about it--she's trading riffs with the great Maceo), her cover of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" where her sax replaces Bonnie's voice, and the cover of AWB's "Pick Up The Pieces"--if you are able to get the US version of this album (or the Japanese import, "The Best Of Candy Dulfer--Candy Funky Mix"), you get a no-holds barred, punched up version that's better than the Euro version. The quietness of "Sunday Morning" completes the album.

Among my Candy collection, I've always considered this her best album--I've always suspected that "Saxuality" was rushed out to jump on her newfound popularity at the time, whereas "Sax-A-Go-Go" was much more prepared and allowed many listeners to begin to see what she liked to play.

If you can find the US version of this, it also contains a radio edit of "2 Funky"--not even close to being as good as the long version, but the album makes up for it with "Pick Up The Pieces" (Which has become another concert staple for her). Worth it for the music, worth it for the cover."

The horn soars, the vocals drag

Elliot J. Fleming | Providence RI | 08/01/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The saxophone is indeed fine, as is the rhythm section. The vocals, though... Sax-A-Go-Go (the second track on the album) has an embarassingly bad rap section, Jammin' is too up-front with a lead vocalist who is not as good as the saxophone. Skip those two tracks, though, and this is a darned tasty album."