Music Monthly Paper Review
(December 1999, Issue #183)
Bassist: David Dyson
CD: "Soulmates", Lo'hand Funk Records
The first thing that hits me about this disk is that David Dyson is an extremely talented bass player. He takes the five string electric bass into jazzy, melodic territory usually reserved for saxes, guitars, and well, . . . anything but the bass. His cool, vampy grooves are smooth, but laced with chopsy, aggressive playing. The vibe is somewhat like Maxwell's, "Urban Hang Suite", but with a mostly instrumental jazz feel. Many of the twelve tracks on Soulmates feature two bass lines, some of which sound synthesized, but it's hard to tell. This move keeps a nice full bottom running through the tunes while Dyson solos or plays melodies in a higher register. I love it!
On the second track, David rattles off his influences in a sleepy rap: "Yeah, I remember when I used to chill down in the basement, put my head on a pillow between two speakers, throw on an 8-track, 45, whatever, Kool And the Gang, Sly And the Family Stone, Graham/Central Station. Herbie Hancock's, Headhunters just absorbin' it in . . . can't forget my man, Bootsy". And, speaking of "The Star Child", Dyson's solo in this cool tune sort of clones his tone, with that talking envelope thing.
Dyson wears a lot of hats on this self-produced offering. His drum programming shines. I don't even miss a real drummer, which is unusual for my taste. He also plays keys and sings backup smoothly enough. The guest musicians, who handle saxes, keyboards, and lead vocals, all sound great. This kind of music would fit right into the play-list on WEAA, or most any cool jazz station that funks things up here and there. Very well done.
"Spincycle", seems like a clear shot for a single, with it's soulful jazzy vocals, sung by John Stoddart, while "Badlands", is a strong, fast, slapper, with a cool sax head, blown by Marshall Keys. Shades of Stanley Clarke. Tracks 10 and 11 move from groovy balladry to frenetic fusion. It's all good. The only track I have any problem with at all is "Lonely Days", the last track. This is a very ambitious and difficult thing to play, an unaccompanied chord melody on the bass guitar. It is beautifully composed, and starts out great, but excessive string rasp, and occasional muddiness eventually hurt the tune. It probably sounds great live. But overall, this is one of the very best local CD's I've ever had the pleasure of reviewing. We have a true bass giant in our midst. Look out!
--Tobias Hurwitz