Dave McMurray - Soul Searching (2001)

Imagine, you have a dream, a nice dream. You dream to have a meeting with your all-star group. Not easy, but take this album on your turntable and sit back. Voila, there they are.

The dream starts immediately with the first track Just The Music. Marcus Miller 's bass speaks to you with his well-known sound and Dave adds his blowing sax. Really phat funk.

Hold fast your seat: Darrel "Peanut" Smith takes over the bass introducing Dave's On Detroit Time. A hooking melody dedicated to the people of Detroit who have continued support Dave McMurray 's music.

Some Cruisin' To The P.M. let you swing and groove. Dave's soprano and Mark Isham's trumpet are searching the airy notes of celestial scales.

And the grooves goes on with What Cha Gonna Do About My Loving. Dave's tenor sax and Gloria Ridgeway's sultry vocals are smooth like honey. But Dave adds a hard drum and bass frame. A very radiolike midtempo tune with a funky vein.

Walk In The Night is a dashing march through funky ground. Very groovy, tight rhythms and bass-oriented. Some scratches as percussion adds gave the breaks between Dave's tremendous sax solo.

Bob James 's acoustic piano solo introduces into 7 Day Love. After his careful keys touches one await a slow contemplative tune, but soon you realize the beauty of this energetic bassdriven piece. Chuck Loeb adds a groovy guitar solo. Dave, Chuck and Bob, what a trio. After Fourplay I would like an album of this Threeplay.

On Bob James' first album for his Tappan Zee label, the legendary One, one finds Nautilus as the final piece. Dave presents together with Bob James and Wayne Gerard a modern version which will awake the interest even of the elder Bob James fans. Dave 's flute play is kicking you out of the seat directly to the dancefloor.

Soulfull Kisses will keep you on the dancefloor. Dave isn't only one of the best sax players, but knows to arrange a perfect drum groove, fresh and contemporary. Ron Otis on drums, Wayne Gerard on guitar and Larry Fratangelo on percussion are ideal players to transform Dave's arrangements.

I Go Wild is a modern Urban Groove styled tune with Herschell Boone's vocodered vocals. Since Cher's worldhit Believe the vocoder is returned on many albums.

Do you remember Junior Walker and the All-Stars? His first album Shotgun on the Motown Label was released in 1965. Walker was inspired to take up the sax by the jump blues and R & B bands of the 50's. Cleo's Mood is one of the rockish tunes which invites to an extensive jamming session. Dave's cover version captured perfectly the oldtime mood.

Ghetto Flute Song is anew a good opportunity for Dave to showcase his skills on flute. Don't miss Luis Resto's piano solo, it's really short.

London Nights is a concentrated charge of drum machine overdubbed with Dave's tenor sax and Wayne's guitar.

After this musical thunderstorm Dave's flabbergasts with some oriental style on Madrid. Madrid, the capital city of Spain, lives in the heritage of Christian and Islamic history. I was there some weeks ago and recommend especially the Prado museum.

On Sonny Dave plays a Tenor sax solo and adds a second sax then a third to a choir.
This album is worth every dime and every pound. -- [i][/i]