SmoothLounge.com Review
by SandyShore
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. Other tracks 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.” 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!
