It's Candy

Dressed in a white jumpsuit, legs crossed, sandy blond hair perfectly coiffed, and sitting in a comfy tan chair with her trusty alto sax, Candy Dulfer looks perfectly angelic on the cover of her third album, For the Love of You. Some of the goofy shots on the inside sleeve cast her in the more mischievous light of her almost lookalike Jenny McCarthy, but the overall packaging – and that dazzling smile – caresses the eyes with femininity. But her deeper musical dimensions are decidedly masculine.

Dressed in a white jumpsuit, legs crossed, sandy blond hair perfectly coiffed, and sitting in a comfy tan chair with her trusty alto sax, Candy Dulfer looks perfectly angelic on the cover of her third album, For the Love of You. Some of the goofy shots on the inside sleeve cast her in the more mischievous light of her almost lookalike Jenny McCarthy, but the overall packaging – and that dazzling smile – caresses the eyes with femininity. But her deeper musical dimensions are decidedly masculine.

Is Candy Dulfer a jazz saxophonist with a feel for funk or a funk player with a jazz side to her musical personality? On FUNKED UP, she leans toward the latter. While there is some smooth melodious jazz here, most of this set is geared to paying tribute to old-school funk–Parliament, Funkadelic, James Brown, and the earliest efforts by Kool & the Gang and Rick James. There’s some rapping along with overtones of reggae rhymes and Latin rhythms, but for the most part FUNKED lives up to its title, with Dulfer’s heated sax shining throughout. This special edition of FUNKED UP! also includes a second disc of Candy Dulfer "chill-out" instrumentals.

"Havana Candy" was Patti Austin's second solo album and was produced by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen. Stylistically, it's very similar to its predecessor and Patti's passionate and emotive vocals are truly magical and spellbinding on gorgeous ballads like "I Just Want To Know", "Little Baby" and "That's Enough For Me". While not commercially successful, "Havana Candy" is a Patti Austin classic which anyone who loves good music should not miss out on.