The super-slick duo of Minneapolis-based vocalist
Joy Dragland and Wisconsin producer
Leo Sidran, son of accomplished keyboard player
Ben Sidran, occupies odd musical ground. While the opening "I'm Not Shy" is strangely reminiscent of the slick jazz-funk of early-'90s acid jazz pioneers
Incognito, this potentially rich musical vein remains untapped through the following ten tracks, which wander from the easy listening pop ballad of "Waterfall" into a glossy cover of
Marvin Gaye's "Lets Get It On." Though
Dragland's voice is entertaining enough and the production values are high throughout, there is a commercial sheen that acts to harbor nagging doubts regarding the authenticity of an otherwise quite soulful, though a little unmemorable, album. ~ Kingsley Marshall