Kiwi jazz maestro Mark de Clive-Lowe is now based in LA after having spent more than a decade in Britain, and his ninth solo long-player reflects his shifting locations with a journey across micro genres.
The 14 tracks (five of which are miniature interludes) push towards dance-influenced, song-based jazz, with flavours ranging from funk to lounge to nu-soul. It's heavily percussion-based, hip-hop beats and complex rhythmic patterns dominating, with a treasure trove of synth sounds filling out the catchy, finger-snapping arrangements.
An array of guest performers include vocalists Nia Andrews, Tawiah, Sandra Nkake and Bembe Segue, while second track Get Started featuring British soul king Omar, and iconic percussionist Sheila E (known for her work with Prince) is a standout.
The production is energetic, slick and bursting, which is slightly overwhelming over the scale of a whole album, where a greater dynamic range might've been good for the ears, but it works for individual tracks - they'd be hard to ignore as part of any DJ set.
Stars: 3.5/5
