David Dyson Soulmates CD

Electric bassist David Dyson has made his mark as a sideman with Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Pieces of a Dream, and the band (which also included Bob Belden) featured on Tim Hagans' Animation - Imagination. On his solo debut, Dyson handles just about everything by himself, including bass, keyboards, drum programming, sampling, and assorted spoken word vocal spots. There are a couple of guest keyboardists and saxophonists, and John Stoddart sings well on "Spin Cycle." But Dyson's bass is the dominant presence, deployed often via overdubs as a melody and chording instrument. His tracks lean heavily toward funk, R&B, and dance beats, and this, together with the electric bass emphasis, makes Dyson's music somewhat similar to Marcus Miller's. Jazz listeners might find it a bit commercial overall, although Dyson crafts some edgy harmonic progressions, hard grooves, and intelligent songs. He and co-engineer/pianist Vince Evans also know their way around studio gear -- the recording is rich and of very high quality. Dyson's unaccompanied statement, "Lonely Daze," is an ideal closing gesture. ~ David R. Adler

Vince Evans (piano); Fred Pena (synthesizer).

Personnel: David Dyson (keyboards, drums, programming, sampler); John Stoddart (vocals); Marshall Keys, Skip Pruitt (saxophone); Vince Evans (piano).

Audio Mixers: David Dyson; Sean Rickman.

Recording information: Lo'hand Funk; Noise Factory; VLE Studio.

Photographer: Eva Hambach.

Arranger: David Dyson.

Personnel includes: David Dyson (vocals, keyboards, bass, programming, samples); John Stoddart (vocals); Marshall Keys, Skp Pruitt (saxophone);

JazzTimes (6/01, p.145) - "...Very funky...Dyson reaches back to the nastiest '70s funk for his sound....his own vision of funk-fusion has enough edge and original ideas to make his music stand out..."