This was a very nice surprise indeed -- jazz-inflected R&B, soul and funk presented sunny side up, no apologies and no resorting to whatever passes for commercial pitches these days. Some folks will be reminded of Rufus (
Chaka Khan's old outfit), and there's nothing wrong with that, either. This is cool, sexy soul that's pumped along by Genji Siraisi's clean drumming and
Jonathan Maron's just-right bass work, led from the front by a nice vocal performance from Nicole Willis, who avoids being showy or shallow and instead turns in a heartfelt and enjoyable performance. Overall, an album that probably deserves far more of a promotional push than it's going to get -- and one that's worth its weight in platinum, which is what its sales ought to be. ~ Steven McDonald