Candy Dulfer - Sax-A-Go-Go (1993)

Saxophonist Candy Dulfer's sophomore album, 1993's Sax-A-Go-Go, built upon the smooth jazz of her debut while also playing up more of her hip-hop and dance music influences. Once again working with producer/multi-instrumentalist Ulco Bed, Dulfer delved even deeper into the club-ready funk and acid jazz that was in its heyday during the early '90s. These are synthesizer and drum machine-heavy productions showcasing Dulfer's high-energy saxophone lines. In that sense, tracks like the title cut (featuring rapper Easy Mo Bee) and the swinging funk number "Bob's Jazz" sound like instrumental takes on the hip-hop and R&B sound of groups like TLC and Bell Biv DeVoe. A slick studio production for sure, but Dulfer's longstanding love of artists like Maceo Parker, Miles Davis, and Prince came through. In keeping with this more organic, swaggering sound, Dulfer covered '70s jazz-funk pioneer Les McCann's classic "Compared to What" and delivered a convincing take on Average White Band's "Pick Up the Pieces." The result is an album that successfully conveyed Dulfer's own jazz and funk-based style, just as it celebrated her standing as the queen of smooth jazz party music. ~ Matt Collar