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you can also see my artwork on redbuble click on logo 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 ================================================= 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 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 cantor
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