CD Reviews

Dennis Ferrer

The World as I See It | MVD

By MICHAEL FREEDBERG | February 26, 2007

3.5 Stars

One of a trio of DJs currently updating classic, mid-1980s Chicago house music (along with Derrick Carter and DJ Heather), Dennis Ferrer now has a full-length CD out after a decade and a half of single-track releases, many of them hits. Two of those hits are included in this set, the bluesy, step strut “Underground Is My Home,” with a seductive vocal by Tyrone Ellis (who sounds a lot like Otis Redding), and “Church Lady,” a gospel funk send-up with the best of Ferrer’s slow-tempo’d signature step-strut beats. DJs are also now using other Ferrer tracks that he’s included here, the electro-styled “Transitions” and three percussion-centered “tribal” cuts: “Run Free,” “Change the World,” and “Destination,” the last noteworthy for its dreamy orchestrations of salsa, Arabic, and Europop melodies. Also of interest are “P 2 DA J,” loungy jazz in the manner of Mr. V but underpinned by Ferrer’s step strut; “Touch the Sky,” percussive with a sexy overlay of Europop and one of those blissed-out falsetto soul voices (think Robert Owens) that graced so much early house; and “How Do I Let Go,” even slower in tempo, in the manner of the jazzy house style that fans call “chill out,” with a baritone vocal reminiscent of Stevie Wonder.

Topics: CD Reviews , Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Dennis Ferrer, More

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ARTICLES BY MICHAEL FREEDBERG

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