A founding member of influential acid jazz band
the Sandals before an imploding deal with London Records forced him to go at it alone,
Ian Simmonds' work as
Juryman has steadily expanded from widespread critical acclaim to more widespread attention.
Escape to Where follows the blueprint laid out in The Hill, with each instrumental countered by a more traditional song-based track;
Simmonds' own voice in the opening "Overstretchin" sets the agenda for the rest of the LP, using an overheard conversation to conjure a groove from busked atmospherics, his grave delivery rattling off a string of words that play amongst shape-shifting melodics and a stoical rhythm section, warming up the electronic elements by way of an occasional orchestral rise. Vocalists Sabile and Stretcher usurp previous
Simmonds spars Allison Goldfrapp and Roger Robinson with the South American drift of the former contrasted by the slick hip-hop lyricisms of the latter, all sitting comfortably within a swathe of well-mannered arrangements. Post-breakbeat for the more adventurous lounges. ~ Kingsley Marshall