Contemporary saxophonist, composer, and bandleader
Candy Dulfer
returns with
We Never Stop
, her first studio offering in five years.
Dulfer
engages funk, jazz, pop, and contemporary R&B in a 14-track set that sounds more like a compelling party album; it is that, but its contents are also more substantial. Using her road band and a few first-call guests, she crafts an uptempo, grooving set that seamlessly weds genres, beats, canny melodies, and grooves. Her lyrics reflect society's ongoing struggle with racial strife and inequality and the toll the recent pandemic took on creative communities.
Opener "Yeahyeahyeah" is driven by a finger-popping horn section intro before producer
Ulco Bed
drops a massive
Boosty
-esque funk bassline behind vocalists
Camilo Rodriguez
and co-writer
Ivan Peroti
. (Most of these tunes were written by him and
.) The infectiously uplifting single "Jammin' Tonight" was co-written and produced by guitarist
Nile Rodgers
and bassist
Philippe Saisse
. It's pop-funk party music with a contemporary jazz overlay; the dancefloor feel recalls
Chic
's iconic "Good Times." "Deeper," a set highlight, offers a slippery amalgam of smooth jazz and contemporary R&B and modern gospel.
's lithe, expressively tender lead vocal entwines warmly with
Rodriguez
's and
Perota
's harmonies. "Say Something" is a warm, funky protest song. All three singers alternate on the lead, while saxes, guitars, and percussion bubble and cook underneath. Her alto horn punches through the mix with biting accents before trading lines with
Bed
. The danceable title track features a knotty horn chart (think
George Clinton
meets
Maceo Parker
) atop funky clavinet, bass, and fine vocal interplay from
, her singers, and
Rafael Nagelkerke
. Bassist
Marcus Miller
appears on "The Walls." Another highlight, it's a deep modern gospel-soul jam with uplifting testimony from the singers.
Ben Kane
's mix weds funky, horn-centric soul jazz to seductive, nocturnal midtempo balladry, drum funk, and a startling vocoder solo. The sexy flute and synth lines create luxuriant textures. "Perspective" offers a celebratory horn and handclap vamp (a la
Earth, Wind & Fire
). It gives way to anthemic funky soul with a four-voice chorus.
adds dimension with two fine solos. "Afraid for More" offers silky pop-soul balladry.
Peroti
's falsetto is emotionally resonant as
drops glorious alto fills between his expressive lines. "The Climb," an adult contemporary soul tune, recalls
Womack & Womack
in arrangement and performance. It offers an infectious melody, sumptuous vocals from
and
, and inspirational lyrics. Her alto sax underscores the poignant verses atop
's instrumentation.
Rodgers
Saisse
also co-wrote and appear on closer "Convergency," the album's lone instrumental. A shimmering late-night groover,
's emotional alto playing hovers just above the guitarist's trademark hyper-strummed chord voicings and
's drums, bass, and keyboards. It's a fitting send-off for
. Despite the album's endlessly infectious good-time grooves,
's message is as edifying as it is urgent, and one we need whether on the dancefloor, working in the community, or marching in the streets. ~ Thom Jurek