Dave Hosley: Love For Sale

After more than four decades as one of the Bay Area's most popular entertainers, Dave Hosley decided it was time to release his first album entitled, Love For Sale. Hosley, or "Diamond Dave" as his fans know him, speaks about his success, "One of the things that my audience likes about my shows is the sense of spontaneity on any given night. I might jump from 'Strangers in the Night' to 'You Give Love a Bad Name' to 'Baby Got Back' in one medley." His debut album continues this theme with a compelling repertoire that spans genres and generations. Bringing together songs from Carole King, Cole Porter, Burt Bacharach, Oscar Hammerstein and Johnny Mercer. Hosley has create an outstanding musical space, aided by musicians of the uppermost quality. Lincoln Adler plays alto, tenor and bari saxophones as well as shares the arranging credits with Greg Sankovich, who fills the piano, organ and fender Rhodes chair. A tight rhythm section of Paul Eastburn on bass and Alan Hall on drums, which is augmented by Matthew Hewlett on guitar, Dillon Vado on vibraphone and Michaelle Goerlitz on percussion. The front line is filled out by Mike Olmos on trumpet and Allison Gomer on trombone. Hosley brings to life emotions in these well-known tunes. It might be the tale of two people in love, a melody that triggers a memory from way back about a chance encounter, an enchanting melody heard from afar that takes over your emotions, or the tremendous empathy that can come from seeing someone else overcome an unimaginable personal struggle. His strong command of a wide ranging tessitura, in the pocket rhythm, creative phrasing and musical melodic embellishments make this project a real joy to listen to, and sets it apart from the crowded field of "lounge" singers. "I Feel the Earth Move" is given an excellent arrangement and Hosley's tutti lines with the bass and piano are perfectly executed during the intro. The funky rhythm is continued for the melody. Hosley conveys plenty of emotion with vocal growls, bluesy glissandos, and driving rhythmic articulations. Hosley and Sankovich trade phrases for the solo section. Hosley's scatting ability is very impressive too, certainly in the neighborhood of Kurt Elling and Giacomo Gates.

A funky bossa feel is the setting for "Love For Sale." Again, Hosley musically embellished the melody and delivers strong phrases that sell the song. The arrangement is very enjoyable and Adler delivers a fine solo. Hosley also uses all parts of his vocal range during the track and shows good control and vocal quality throughout, this is a welcomed edition to a long lineage of great performances of this recognized standard. Hosley's command of the before mentioned vocal qualities are again front and center in his rendition of "I Say a Little Prayer." He does a fine job of building the melody to a series of convincing high notes, leading to a sustained high climax note. Olmos adds to the excitement as the arrangement continues to build to support Hosley's upper register phrases. Hall's fills between the band hits also intensify the energy and the overall effect is very musical and makes an impactful statement.

Hosley describes his thoughts about recording Love For Sale, " It has been an incredibly fulfilling experience as a musical artist. I've enjoyed a long career as a performing artist, and I love doing live shows. Recording these songs was a new process for me, and I always love being able to do something new with the music." Overall, Love For Sale is a delightful listen, with recognizable tunes from the Gas Songbook and the 70's adult-contemporary era, melded together in a well-polished sound that is an enjoyable listen from start to finish. It also offers a nice bridge to jazz for the new listener to begin to discover the vast material the jazz genre has to offer.