REVIEWS! 5 out of 5 stars Organic & Appealing!
Reviewer: Smoothjazz.com Review From the UK comes
a swirling sound of electro-jazz mixed in with
Afro-Latin grooves. Donald Dean (aka Dean) fuses
ambient with soul to create this sensual project
that is both appealing and aurally pleasing.
FAMILY PORTRAITE is a big picture project about
life and humanity with commentary running
throughout that offers an opportunity for
listeners to pause and reflect. The artist says,
“There are not boundaries in music, the only
limits are our own imaginations.” Dean’s
imagination appears to be vast as he is the sole
composer and producer on FAMILY PORTRAITE. If
you’re a fan of Zero 7 or Air, you’ll totally
get into Dean. “Summer Days” is a grand feat
with top-notch engineering, tasty Fender Rhodes
keyboards, alluring sax work, organic beats and a
sizzling female vocal track. Other songs that
stand out on this project include the soul
stirring “Everyday;” the poignant “Storm A
Brewin’” floats in a vocal layer over an
industrial vibe (“it’s who we are, not where
we’ve been”); the soulful “The Price We
Pay” is an ambient piece that just may bring the
hairs on the back of your neck straight up; and
Dean’s sax work on “Magic” has a Van
Morrison feeling to it reminiscent of Van’s own
playing on songs like “Spanish Steps.” For us
here in the U.S. Dean captures the Euro Chill
sound with his soulful approach to electronica and
nu jazz, creating a very organic sound that fits
beautifully into our Smooth Lounge! ~SANDY SHORE
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So call me a fan already! I admit the CTI Admin
folks alerted me that Don Dean had set up house
here and asked me to check his music out but they
didn't have to worry about convincing me where
it's concerned. I know quality flow when I hear it
and I actually had experienced the joy of
listening to Dean's music before. The first time,
it made me think of certain songs by that
fantastic group War, like what they might have
sounded like if they had started making music in
the year 2000. It made me think too about some
early Santana and then some things I couldn't
really identify but that I totally loved. Dean
gives us something like a full-bodied orchestral
pop treat with smooth waves of warm Latino
rhythms, sparkling African beats, and seductive
jazzy fusion all mixed to create something totally
original and irresistible. His sound is what I
figure making good music is supposed to be all
about...fresh and hot and kickin' it to the moon.
ILWM Share
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Family Portrait by Dean If you are a fan of Zero
7, Donald Dean (aka Dean) is an artist worth
listening to. Dean professes a kind of swash
exuberance and soulful ambiance on Family
Portrait. More importantly though, as sole
producer and composer, Dean shines with his
compositions herewith, and the result is a
beautiful and convincing achievement. "Family
Portrait" is shaped with Dean's eccentrically free
overtones and robust sax work, and is an
openhearted record full of truly inspirational
moments. Dean’s sax work on “Magic” is
captivating, starting and ending with an
incendiary sax solo, capturing the essence of the
track and the entire LP itself. "Summer Days" is
an epic work, tight and well arranged, straight
"in-the-pocket" if you will, featuring tasty
Fender Rhodes keyboards, alluring sax work,
organic beats and a sizzling female vocal track
(~SANDY SHORE from smoothjazz.com). Other
outstanding tracks include two very soulful
pieces, "Chance Encounter" and "Everyday". " Time"
features a wonderfully eclectic arrangement and is
a very strong track. Over all, Dean boldly snaps
choruses with amazing themes and contractive
passages pertaining to life and humanity. Even
more, the composer's free-form penchant and avant
garde technique appears to be rooted upon a
complicated but nevertheless discernible layout.
This release is a captivating enterprise.
Gorgeous... --Michael Canter
==================================================
So call me a fan already!
I admit the CTI Admin folks alerted me that Don
Dean had set up house here and asked me to check
his music out but they didn't have to worry about
convincing me where it's concerned. I know quality
flow when I hear it and I actually had experienced
the joy of listening to Dean's music before. The
first time, it made me think of certain songs by
that fantastic group War, like what they might
have sounded like if they had started making music
in the year 2000. It made me think too about some
early Santana and then some things I couldn't
really identify but that I totally loved.
Dean gives us something like a full-bodied
orchestral pop treat with smooth waves of warm
Latino rhythms, sparkling African beats, and
seductive jazzy fusion all mixed to create
something totally original and irresistible. His
sound is what I figure making good music is
supposed to be all about...fresh and hot and
kickin' it to the moon.
ILWM
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