First Cuckoo

Three albums into his MCA contract and only a bit over two years after 2001, Deodato's music reached a state of funk stasis. Through much of this record, he seems bored, wilting under the pressure to repeat the hit formula, comping listlessly on clavinet and electric piano while sidekick John Tropea is equally out of gas on rock guitar. Deodato roams far afield for material, from Led Zeppelin ("Black Dog") all the way to English classical composer Frederick Delius, whose gorgeous orchestration for "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring" he lifts shamelessly. Deodato's own tunes are supremely uninteresting; "Funk Yourself" (same to you, fella!) and "Watusi Strut" (onto whose opening he grafts "Caravan") are boring electric funk workouts, and "Crabwalk" goes nowhere to the beat of a cowbell. Marcos Valle's "Adam's Hotel" is the sole throwback to Deodato's roots, a pretty Brazilian tune traced out on an electric piano, with whistling and subtle strings for that Jobim effect. Again, MCA's drab, tight sound is a far cry from the luxurious treatment he received from CTI. ~ Richard S. Ginell