Andrew OH

Album Review

For all its weaknesses and shortcomings, this CD showed Andrew Oh to be a talented young tenor, alto and soprano saxophonist who had decent chops and could play convincingly when he put his mind to it. The Singapore native's main influences are Grover Washington, Jr., David Sanborn and Hank Crawford, and the inspiration of such soul-jazz giants serves him well when he gets a chance to stretch out on inspired jazz/urban contemporary tunes like "Inside Out" and "It's Time." The problem is that all too often, Oh downplays his improvisatory talents in the hope of getting commercial radio exposure. "I Can't Stop Dreaming" and a cover of Julia Fordham's "Happy Ever After" are outright Muzak, and he's almost as insipid on the schlocky "Beautiful One Day." Oh is obviously trying to balance commercial and artistic considerations, and the result is a mixed bag that is often forgettable but does have its moments. The disc indicated that if he gave up elevator music altogether, avoided excessive production, and improvised more often, Oh could amount to something special.