June 2001

David Dyson
Soulmates
Marimelj Entertainment Group

By Brian Soergel

Pieces of a Dream bassist David Dyson, whose performance credits also include such disparate acts as New Kids on the Block, Steve Coleman and Me'Shell N'degeOcello, strikes out on his own with his very funky solo CD, Soulmates. Dyson's bass holds the bottom together, of course, but he also puts in out front. Where Pieces of a Dream updates its smooth vibe for the new millennium, Dyson reaches back to the nastiest '70s funk for his sound. As he shows on tunes such as the hard-driving "Badlands," the mellow title song and with the wah-wah bass of "Interference," Dyson has his own vision of funk-fusion with enough edge and original ideas to make his music stand out from the pack.