Powerhouse is a group of musicians who makes jazzy instrumental tracks that fall somewhere between
Stereolab and
Kenny G.. On
Five Plus Four, they take another journey into the spacy regions that
Sun Ra once occupied, but with a much less-ambitious mission than the great jazz alien had. They just want to make short and trippy fusion tracks that are short enough to stay interesting but long enough to allow them to play around. They have a very smooth sound that could easily earn them regular rotation on AM radio, while their experimental tendencies tend to be reigned in by the length of the tracks. If not for the length, these songs might be able to stretch out and breathe, and the band might be able to really let loose and rip up the track. As it stands, this is an interesting album from a band who could really turn into a bizarre experimental combo or a smooth jazz juggernaut at any minute, but they wisely tow the line here and simply deliver some groovy tunes. ~ Bradley Torreano