Dave Koz - Dave Koz (1990)

Fans of saxophonist Dave Koz from either his days playing EWI with the Rippingtons or his tours with lookalike pop star Richard Marx waited a long few years for this explosive debut, and Koz certainly delivers the goods with an absolutely smashing Sanborn-esque display of chops and seduction. The Marx effect is a definite plus, as Koz does wonders with a cover of the singer's "Endless Summer Nights" and he co-wrote one of the disc's best originals: "Give It Up" with Marx and Jeff Lorber (who is one of the album's handful of producers). As in his previous work as a sideman, Koz proves an innovative player throughout. This project not only launched one of the great smooth jazz sax careers of the '90s, but it was one of the first genre albums to spawn hit singles (the ballads "Emily" and "Castle of Dreams") and VH1 videos. Pure dynamite, but Koz would later top even himself.~AllMusic Review by Jonathan Widran