March 2001

Dotsero
West of Westchester
Peak Records

By Hilarie Grey

From retro-soul to modern-urban soundscape, Dotsero-guitarist David Watts, saxophonist Stephen Watts and bassist Michael Friedman-offers its hooks with a twist on West of Westchester. Produced by Russ Freeman, the album boasts a sharp, fizzy sound atypical for the genre. The "something different," promised with the band's name, appears in elements like Kip Kuepper's retro-keyboard solo on the percolating soundscape "Lodo Mojo," plucky Asian effects combined with smooth-as-glass guitar work on "When We're Together" and a prickly, high-hitting sax melody on a cover of Bob James' "Westchester Lady." These extra details create additional layers of interest and help make the music memorable. Freeman himself gets into the fray, lending a spindly acoustic solo to the otherwise straightforward, island-ballad piece "Staring at the Ceiling," the album's least funky entry. Stephen Watts' sax proves a compelling lead voice throughout, offering more hook than flash on tunes ranging from the midclip "Welcome Home" to the percolating "Lodo Mojo," featuring some tightly cornered riffs.