For Your Pleasure

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Saxmen always seem intent on giving listeners a fair amount of pleasure, as Marion Meadows (Pleasure) and now Walter Beasley on For Your Pleasure demonstrate. Beasley -- who started his career in the '80s as an R&B singer and does a nifty quiet storm dance on "Do You Wanna Dance" -- commits to this concept in the most logical way possible; for two key tracks, he relies on the writing and trip-hoppy production expertise of Scot Rammer and Dino Esposito, who hit pay dirt with Paul Taylor last year on -- what else? -- Pleasure Seeker. On the title track, Beasley winds his swaying soprano melody over an odd meter, skittery percussion bed before going a little out and improvising just a bit. "From This Moment On" takes a similar route, only with more clicking and a deeper bass sound. Elsewhere, Beasley turns to labelmate/guitarist Chuck Loeb, who engages Beasley in a blues meets hip-hop playground on "If You Knew," restraining his own electric so the saxman can hit all the high notes without producer interference. Beasley pays tribute to his fallen comrade (and stylistic soul mate) George Howard with a spunky cover -- similarly arranged to Howard's version -- of the Jam/Lewis hit "Everything I Miss at Home." Like Meadows, Howard, and Taylor, Beasley knows how to hit the little adventure spots in the mix, turning even the simplest melodies into truly pleasurable listening experiences.
© Jonathan Widran /TiVo