It's light years from the airy pop of "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," recorded by the hit-making first group formed by South African
Manfred Mann and
Mike Hugg in 1963. This is as much jazz as rock. There's hardly any guitar, but a swaggering horn section compensates. Imagine a darker, moodier
Traffic with
Mann manning the organ instead of
Steve Winwood.
Hugg's raspy vocals are featured on the first album recorded with the new band. The standout tracks are the album-opening "Travelling Lady" and "Time," but they are hardly the only strong ones.