On
Soul Searching, the originals are mostly trivial dance tracks, but saxophonist
David McMurray shows a strong personality in his solos. At times he hints at
Grover Washington, Jr., and clearly he can play. His backup group, which includes such notables as trumpeter
Mark Isham, keyboardist
Bob James and bassist
Marcus Miller, mostly sounds pretty anonymous with the focus being on the leader except for a few throwaway R&B vocals. However,
McMurray's consistently worthy solos make one wish that he were featured in a more stimulating setting than this set of danceable background music. ~ Scott Yanow