Well surrounded, with pianist Burt De Villiers as her father and saxophonist Rémi Bolduc as her lover, Chantal De Villiers knows where she’s going. The composer is particularly fond of the tenor sax, and blends jazz with soul/funk influences. Hence her album Funky Princess, on which we can also hear the influences of great saxophonists such as Stan Getz and Dexter Gordon.
From Groovy Step onwards, the album launches into Latin rhythms, which recur regularly throughout (notably on Piggy’s Dance). Rythmic Song, just after, already softens a little, offering something more melodic and heartfelt.
The Shadow of your Smile (by Johnny Mandel) is a jazz ballad. Apart from the fact that the recording seems to have been mixed a little less loudly than the other pieces, this one allows the emotion launched by Chantal de Villiers’ sax to emerge. The title track, Funky Princess, follows, with the opus’ first overt soul “groove”. For the occasion, other saxophones are added to add weight. It’s a great success, and probably the only dubious compositional choice is to have the double bassist say “Funky Princess” (twice!).
Co-composed by Chantal de Villiers and Rémi Bolduc, 1930 is a beautiful work where the two saxophones answer each other. It’s soft, but not too soft, and every note is in its place. The track lasts 7 minutes, but it stands on its own. If you still doubt Dexter Gordon’s influence, his composition Panther has been covered by the band. On the other hand, this is a much more modern version, with a rounder sound too.
The last two compositions on the opus are taken from Papa De Villiers’ repertoire. Halo’s Above competes with The Shadow of your Smile for the title of most effective ballad on the opus. And the start of Smoky Moon automatically brings to mind the Pink Panther theme.
The album, when listened to as background music, flows smoothly and will fully fulfill its mandate. The compositions and interpretations are well felt, offering a good mix of jazz, funk and Latin; just enough of everything not to saturate our ears. When the Funky Princess opus is listened to with jazzmen’s ears, however, something still seems to be missing, perhaps an ingredient that makes the difference between a good recording and something that will go down in history for its audacity and avant-gardism. ~ Critique de salon – by Olivier Dénommée – February 6, 2015 (translated from french)
