Venue Magazine CD Review July 09
There’s a lot to this album by Dr Sax, aka Paul Raymond – so much, in fact that it takes a few listens to get a sense of it all. In the end though it’s pretty catchy stuff that creeps up on you with some deftly poppy hooks, which is surprising as the general tone of the album is smooth soul-jazz with the occasional outing of funk & swing. The dozen self-penned/arranged/produced tracks cover a wide range, with Raymond’s sax and Gary Alesbrook’s flugel horn superbly matched on the tight funk of the title track, Richie Blake’s bass popping nicely underneath and Sarah Davies’s gospel haunted vocal on ‘Lead Me to the Water’ both highlights. There’s even a touch of Quincy Jones from time to time, notably the lush and slinky soul of ‘Brief Encounter’.
