An artist whose many influences make her difficult to classify, Dulfer long ago broke out of the smooth jazz and female sax player ghetto. No one is better at what Candy does than Candy is, as demonstrated ably on her first Heads Up release, 2007’s Candy Store. On that disc Candy did a little of everything...

The points of reference for Candy Dulfer’s music are classic funk/rock/R&B along the lines of Maceo Parker, Tom Scott, David Sanborn, even Cannonball Adderley along with soul instrumentalists like Junior Walker and King Curtis, plus the funkified fusions of Prince (with whom she has frequently worked), Bootsy Collins, and (of course) James Brown. An artist whose many influences make her difficult to classify, Dulfer long ago broke out of the smooth jazz and female sax player ghetto. No one is better at what Candy does than Candy is, as demonstrated ably on her first Heads Up release, 2007’s Candy Store. On that disc Candy did a little of everything—and managed to come up with a winning release that was truly eclectic, rather than scattered or jumbled, as it could have been.

Dulfer returns this summer with her followup for the label, Funked Up! The album lives up to its title, but as usual Ms. Dulfer and her musical cohorts aren’t limited to just one type of groove. Some of the tracks were written and recorded shortly after the release of Candy Store while Dulfer and the band were touring in support of that CD. Dutch filmmaker Fred van Dijk subsequently asked Dulfer to work on the soundtrack to his documentary film about organic winemaking, which allowed the band to explore a softer side of things. More material was written after the soundtrack and the material for Funked Up! was chosen from the many tracks available.

The result is a CD that, while not as stylistically wide-ranging as Candy Store, provides an excellent balance between party-powered funk grooves and more quiet, romantic pieces Among the former are the lead off track, “First In Line” featuring a solid rhythm section of bassist Chance Howard and drummer Kirk Johnson, atop which a four-piece brass section (Dulfer, trumpeter Jan van Duikeren, tenor saxophonist Guido Nijs and trombonist Louk Boudesteijn) soars. Dulfer plays some hot solo choruses as well. There’s some sharp ensemble work punctuating rapper Pete Philly’s vocals on the next track “My Funk” as well. Dulfer’s solo lines bob and weave, cutting in and out of the funky background. This is not one-dimensional music by any means, regardless of its populist energy.

“CD 101” goes back to a hot ‘90s-style groove to pay tribute to the New York radio station that gave Dulfer a lot of airplay when they first visited the Statesin 1991. It features sound bites from an actual broadcast by DJ Russ Davis hyping the band’s gig at The Bottom Line. It’s a great number that will have a nostalgic feel for those who’ve followed Candy’s career from those days right through to the present. “Finger Poppin’” has groovy rhythm guitar that is reminiscent of some of Prince’s earlier funk jams, while “Be Cool” has a bit of a Jr. Walker/Booker T. & the *-MGs, with its boogaloo beat and soul jazz melody.

The slower numbers are a little less innovative, but they generally have attractive melodies and often manage to be more emotionally convincing than similar work by Dulfer’s contemporaries. “Still I Love You,” for example, sounds a lot like it could have come from Jesse J’s debut CD released last year, but Dulfer puts a little extra onto the tune and manages to sell it without pandering. Likewise “Don’t Go” which features only Dulfer’s sax and Frank Stukker’s guitar over programming and keyboards by Thomas Bank. Parts are a bit like what you’ve heard other artists do, but there’s a little more there, and consequently Dulfer’s music holds up very well to repeated listening. Not everything is perfect. The love rap of “Bliss 2 This” has never been my cup of tea, though the track is the perfect representation of its genre. Still, I’ll be excluding this track from my iPod.

Dulfer presented a couple of reggae/island grooves on Candy Store, but nothing as organic and relaxed as “True and Tender,” the CD’s penultimate track. The closing track, “Roppongi Panic” is another sax-guitar-programming piece, this time with a distinctly Europop feel. It’s a new feel for Dulfer, and shows that she’s continuing to grow and try out new directions in her music. Funked Up! Continues Dulfer’s winning streak at Heads Up.