Darryl Anderson – You Are

Darryl Anderson
You Are
IYAMHIZ Music (2011)
http://www.cduniverse.com/

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

When it comes to gospel jazz, the saxophone predominates.

Vernard Johnson. Harold Rayford. Reggie Houston. Angella Christie. Ron Brown. The list goes on.

Add Darryl Anderson to the list.

The Harlem-born Anderson is an accomplished musician from an accomplished family: his uncle was a recording artist in the 1960s and cousin is a multi-instrumentalist, including jazz saxophone.  Earlier this year, Darryl Anderson was the featured saxophonist on the five-day One Love Gospel Cruise.

On his new CD, You Are, Anderson interprets popular gospels, hymns and his own compositions in the smooth jazz style, from Mary Mary’s “Seattle” to Fanny Crosby and W. Howard Doane’s “Do Not Pass Me By.”

Rather than go through the motions, Anderson and his crew lay down some untraditional rhythms for traditional church chestnuts “Do Not Pass Me By” and “The Blood.” Anderson gives the former a world music vibe by adding sultry Middle Eastern riffs on what sounds like soprano sax.

Hearing Sophia Green’s vocal contribution, alternately vulnerable and insistent, on the concluding “I Got a Praise,” one wishes she appeared more often in the project, especially on some of the latter tracks that lacked the strong, melodic distinctiveness of the album’s earlier selections.

Nevertheless, You Are is a pleasant listening experience, especially for fans of gospel jazz or just straight-up smooth jazz.

Three of Five Stars

Picks: “I Got a Praise.”