Sunny Side Up is closer to hard bop than the straight-ahead bop that characterized
Lou Donaldson's '50s Blue Note records. There's a bit more soul to the songs here, which pianist
Horace Parlan helps emphasize with his lightly swinging grooves. The pair help lead the group -- which also features trumpeter
Bill Hardman, drummer
Al Harewood and bassist
Sam Jones (
Laymon Jackson plays bass on two of the eight songs) -- through a mellow set of standards and bluesy originals from
Donaldson and
Parlan. Even the uptempo numbers sound relaxed, never fiery. Despite the general smoothness of the session,
Donaldson stumbles a little -- the quotation of "Flight of the Bumblebee" on "Blues for J.P." is awkward, as is the snippet of "Pop Goes the Weasel" on "Politely," and "Way Down Upon the Swanee River" sounds lazy -- but there's enough solid material to make
Sunny Side Up a worthwhile listen for fans of
Donaldson and early-'60s hard bop. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine