April 2011

David Caceres
David Caceres
Sunnyside

By Bill Milkowski

Singer David Caceres exhibits soulful pipes on covers of Stevie Wonder’s “Bird of Beauty” and “Seems So Long,” Maxwell’s “Symptom Unknown” and Donny Hathaway’s “Giving Up,” while also flaunting potent David Sanborn-inspired alto sax work. He delivers Ray LaMontagne’s “You Can Bring Me Flowers” and Van Morrison’s “The Way Young Lovers Do” with requisite grit and soul on this appealing R&B/pop outing, making only token stabs at jazz on an updating of Monk’s “’Round Midnight” and a faithful instrumental reading of Herbie Hancock’s “Tell Me a Bedtime Story.” Gil Goldstein’s evocative string and horn arrangements add elegant depth throughout.