Horror maestro Phillip Lambro tackles the crime genre with Murph the Surf, and the result is a crackling jazz-inspired score buoyed by contributions from the likes of West Coast saxophone greats Bud Shank and Buddy Collette. Though issued via Motown and released in 1975, the soundtrack boasts few of the blaxploitation elements one might anticipate: Lambro's melodies are undeniably funky, but the stoned-soul miasma that permeates so many competing crime scores is absent, with a dark, noir-tinged atmosphere taking its place. This is music that truly demands the adjective "cinematic." Lambro operates in broad, deeply visual strokes, creating a score that's profoundly gritty yet strangely beautiful. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide