Healing the Wounds

by Scott YanowThe Crusaders became a part-time group after the early '80s and by 1986 drummer Stix Hooper had departed. This final set by what was left of the group finds the two original members (keyboardist Joe Sample and saxophonist Wilton Felder) sharing the spotlight with bassist-producer Marcus Miller and an oversized rhythm section. The funky music (which includes originals by Sample and Miller in addition to "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" and a Stevie Wonder piece) is pleasant but not too memorable. Considering the upcoming infighting that found Felder and the group's former trombonist Wayne Henderson forming a "New Crusade" over Sample's objections, the title of this CD is rather ironic.