ROY HARGROVE
Family (Verve)
Upping his output ante, Dallas hornblower Roy Hargrove is giving
the ever-prolific Wynton Marsalis a run for his money these days. Besides
Hargrove’s new Parker’s Mood, there’s also his recent Family, 79
minutes of blue-hues ballads featuring his excellent quintet, and guests like
the aforementioned Marsalis, Christian McBride, and David “Fathead” Newman. The
pulse is a little low here, but the performances are uniformly excellent, and
this album can only be taken as more polish on his horn. – Raoul
Hernandez
CAFE NOIR
The Waltz King (Carpe Diem)
Impressive violin, viola, and guitar laying gently against an
accordion – this is how European folk traditions infect classical forms and
blue-note Americana. Hot cafe tunes, some flamenco, a little swing; but the
molten core in this Dallas group is passion: the last tune on the juke, the
last couple on the floor, the last convention to fall on that feverish trip to
your place. Another remarkable production by San Marcos’ Fire Station. – Stephen McGuire
D-RUSS
As the World Turns (United Front)
Like the Austin rap scene itself, D-Russ is clearly a work in
progress. Although his raw talent lies in a vocal delivery that’s both lazy and
somehow subliminally powerful, D-Russ comes off most confidently behind upbeat
tempos (“Black Is Back,” “No Not Me”) and astute Austin namedrops (“Surprise,
Surprise/ D-Russ and Dave on CapZeyeZ“). But what D-Russ needs most is
an identity, something to save him from lyrical and music clich�s (Tag
Team vs. Ice Cube, militant vs. peacemaker, lover vs. misogynist) that make
As the World Turns seem more like the work of a role-player than a
player. – Andy Langer
“Bonus Tracks” reviews all local and Texas-based
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This article appears in September 8 • 1995 and September 8 • 1995 (Cover).