Dutch smooth jazz saxophonist
Candy Dulfer
's debut album, 1990's
Saxuality
, made a splash both critically and commercially upon its release and helped propel her to global stardom. The daughter of saxophonist
Hans Dulfer
,
had performed since she was an adolescent and by her early twenties was opening for
Madonna
and
Prince
.
builds upon these experiences with productions from multi-instrumentalist
Ulco Bed
that are equal parts
David Sanborn
, and '80s
Miles Davis
. Although
Dulfer
's slick approach here fits squarely in the pop-jazz vein, she was inspired early on in her career by such players as
Sonny Rollins
Maceo Parker
. Consequently, these influences help make
a more funky and engaging listen than many similar albums of the time. While not exactly innovative,
Bed
's mix of programmed beats and synths next to actual instruments was fairly inspired and the album works as a bridge between the club-oriented acid jazz coming out of Europe in the late '80s and the radio-friendly smooth jazz of American artists like
George Benson
Spyro Gyra
. Not only did
perform well for
, selling well over a million copies worldwide, but it also garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. ~ Matt Collar